Pollinators

Stella and I opened our hives yesterday to add pollen patties that would give our bees a spring boost. Her late gathered swarm that I had worried about all winter looks great! My mean hive looks good too. My oldest hive (hanging my head in shame) lost it's entrance reducer sometime (that I never noticed?!?) over the winter and mice moved in. They did a right smart amount of damage - eating honey and comb and in general stinking up the place - and my bees were angry. They had every right.



We noticed quite a few bees loaded with pollen flying into all three hives. Other than some croci, neither of us had noticed anything else blooming yet. The pollen was bright orange, so we agreed the source had to be the orange centered crocus.

I took my camera out this afternoon to try for some pictures and guess what? The bees in the crocus flowers had mustard colored pollen stuffed in their pollen baskets, not orange. So, either the crocus pollen is not orange as we thought or something else is blooming that they visited on the way. Regardless, there are apparently at least two sources for pollen available right now.



We had listened to a very interesting lecture on the waggle dance at bee school last weekend and I was tempted to pull out a frame of bees and see what I could 'cipher'. My choices were my mad hive or my mean hive though and I decided to let it go for another day. There's no telling what my bees would say to me, but I was pretty sure it was not going to be directions to the pollen source ;-).



Along with the honey bees, I notice at least two other bee looking insects checking things out. A common fly as well. I hadn't thought about flies being pollinators, but I suppose they are.



The pussy willows are turning.



And hosting yet another pollinator.

Please be kind to wasps. They (mostly) mean no harm.