The farm I bought had bee boxes in the garage, left by the previous owner (Amish). One box or two had bees in them, so I called the local bee club, who came & moved them outside to the garden. They were great, had honey, brood, pollen, etc, all through summer, fall, early winter. Looked inside and they were all huddled up, looked like they were shivering. Then late winter temperatures went below zero for more than two weeks. It was brutally cold. After the cold snap I looked inside the bee box & nobody was there. All the honey was gone, no brood, no nothing. Just a hole where mice had chewed to get in, and a mouse nest.
To be fair, I didnt do anything to get the bees, and knew next to nothing about taking care of them. But I still mourn the loss. The bee club guy told me lots of people lost bees this past winter, so it was widespread.
When the trees & clover started flowering, I see bees working the flowers, so bees are still around. Apparently they dont forage very far from the hive, so maybe there is a bee tree somewhere on my property?
I like the idea of having bees & hives, but its a whole nuther education.
. I need to work on my patience.
