Thoughts from the apiary.
We spent some time with the hives this morning and even though spring is the ideal example of life and hope, in the bee world it can also be the reminder of mortality. All living things die. We can’t escape that fact. It’s a thought that all human beings actually shy away from for good reason. No one wants to think about it for many reasons – myself included!
In the bee world it’s a priority to be aware of life spans of bees so we can monitor growth and health of our hives. While spring is usually the jumping off point of new beginnings it is the end of a winter bees life. There is a fine balance between the beginning of spring bees and the end of winter bees. We see and celebrate all the hard work of summer bees, the active foraging, the laying and hatching of new bees, the building and storing of honey and bee bread, the queens created and the overall hive management all during the warm months. Personally, I feel sorry for and deeply appreciate the winter bee because they work just as hard to keep the hive alive through the harshest conditions. A winter bee lives longer but doesn’t really get to see the reward other than the knowledge of having kept the queen alive. Some may make it to spring foraging but as the hive comes alive and grows again the winter bee is ending its life span.
All beekeepers find the bees that died in the winter at spring clean out. Either dying during cleansing flights, dying in the hive from cold or simply because they reached the end of their life naturally. No matter how dedicated or on top of things they are it’s an unavoidable part of the bee cycle.
The reality of life becomes very real when working with bees. The simple statement of it is what it is seems harsh and it is sad to see dead bees in the season that represents the world coming back to life, but it is also the part of nature that we can’t avoid.
