We went trick or treating today

Neat costume
Hmm wonder if I could get one of my great nieces or nephews to wear one next year?

The honey bees have been gathering around this plant, Acorus calamus in a pot that is submerged in water container since it is a bog plant. Apparently they are searching for food/water but find it interesting that they have chosen this plant and seem very attracted to the plant itself more than the water. Earlier in the year I kept finding them gathering the potted plant Tagetes minuta, spending all day flying back and forth from the pot. Wondering if there is something on the plant and in the soil that they are attracted to. Also finding many bees on the chicken feed, I guess looking for pollen. Maybe they are low on honey or food supplies this winter? It's in the fifties today, after several days of below freezing temps.



Edit to say the plant is dormant right now.

Sometimes bees collect honeydew from some plants surfaces. Or they may collect the sap if any is oozing. They are after the protein in the chicken feed. In your area it should be getting close to the time they build up their brood for the early spring nectar and pollen.

I hope everyone has their camera ready to take lots of cool pictures of honey bees this year.
It won't be long until the spring nectar and pollen foraging begins .

Wasps are out and about here now. Will the bees be active soon too?

Hopefully I can catch a couple of swarms early in the spring.

If it's 50 degrees honey bees should be flying around.

Since it was 82 today, I'll keep an eye out.

82 degrees that must be nice. I would say that beekeeping season has already started in your neck of the woods.

Lovely pictures Heath. Looks like they are busy bees there

We lost a swarm this week. The. Beekeepers was working and by the time he got home and see the swarm they were ready to take off

Thats a bumer. I haven't even seen a swarm yet. I'm starting to get worried I'm not going to get one. I got all the stuff I need t catch one in my truck so if I get a call I will leave work to get it.

They tend to swarm here just as the blackberries begging to bloom so that is our signal to keep a watch on them.

You all have me wondering if this was a swarm that showed up here. We've been talking about getting a hive for years but still haven't made the time. This year probably would have been a perfect opportunity if we were prepared!

I've been "watering" some honey bees for several years now. It's usually just a dozen or so that show up daily and drink from this bowl (like the ones in my pictures above posted Jan 9th). But this year when I put out the hummingbird feeder (April 1st) a bunch of very hungry honey bees showed up.



I had to make a separate feeding station for the honey bees.

Definitely not a swarm but I bet you have a hive close by. You could probably just set an empty box out in your yard and a swarm would move in.

Thank you, Heath. That's a great idea! They do seem to be coming and going from a certain direction, over the house and to the forest.

What would be the best place for a box? Southern facing or northern facing the sun? They seem to be coming from the south.

I don't know if it matters what way the hive is facing. I've always heard to put it on the edge of a woodline about 6 to 8 feet off the ground.

It doesn't really matter to the bees which way it faces but it is recommnded that you face it east toward the rising sun because that will warm the hive quicker and get them moving sooner.
I would also suggest you make sure it is not facing into a direct wind path because that would mean a colder hive in the winter.

The bees are loveing my poppys.

I just got back from my neighbor's house. They found this small swarm in a maple tree in their back yard, at about eye level. A local beekeeper is in the process of removing them.