Winter, The life and times of the Honeybee in Mableton!

December.  The month when Honeybees are waiting, resting.  But not this year.  With the temperatures over 50 degrees, the girls are flying to find nectar and pollen out in the dormant landscape.  When I look outside I see brown and gray.  The weather is rainy and the trees don't have much color.  One of our neighbors has the greenest grass, due to chemicals and it really is brillant.  

The festive lights that are on the houses and the evergreens, the cool(er) weather is exciting to the beekeeper.  It is nice to have the temp up, so that I can see the bees flying, as of now I know they are surviving.  I checked the hives for their weight.  All of them are pretty heavy.  I am feeding them right now.  I feel good that I have given them every advantage to get through the winter.  Interesting, at the end of January the queens are supposed to begin laying again.  It is a critical time for beekeepers.