After seeing zero inches of snow in December and early January, it was starting to seem like our dry 2023 would carry over into 2024. We finally received a decent amount of snow thanks to a week of storms, laying down a white cover of about 12 inches of snow. While snow is not the most fun to drive through, and our town patrolman is a little slow in plowing, we need the moisture. The snow is also a lot prettier than the browns of the dormant vegetation and mud.
The beehives needed to be checked and entrances cleared, so I decided to don snowshoes to get to the hives and to hike to the top of our hayfield.
The snow had fallen the night before, so there were not many animal trails across the hayfield. It was a solid blanket of white, except for the path the snowshoes carved up the hill. I paused often, partly to catch my breath, but also to enjoy the view and solitude.
On the way down, I stopped at each hive to check the entrances and brush off the snow. I tapped on the side of each hive, listening carefully for a soft hum that would hopefully indicate the bees had at least made it to January. I could hear bees in our single Langstroth hive, but did not hear anything from the two Layens hives. Those hives are well-insulated, so perhaps the bees are still alive. This past week, we have had temperatures in the 40s, rain, and melting. The swing between cold and thaw are hard on the bees, as they become a little more active in the warmer weather and consume more of their precious stores of honey. They will require more scrutiny in March, to ensure they have food. For now, the bees rest.
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