more tales

To my utter amazement there were a few 
bees flying today  (>5,<10)
I didn't stay long, my fingertips were starting
to hurt  (-12C/10F, windy)

Later at end of day there were enough
to  count in front of 2 hives (approx 100)
The others all less 5-20
Some managed to make 30 yds out
This was all today 20 jan

Yesterday as I was passing the S yard and as
the snow has receded some, I thought I would visit

There were only few bodies in snow, no bird sign
When I rapped on all hives I heard .... silence
After a moment of panic I realized that
looking in the top hole moving bees were
visible in 7 of 8 hives

By comparison the N yard made noise,
but quieter than I remember from past
(if you didn't listen closely it
was not audible)

FWIW my average brood-free time is 130-135 days (p2e)
It would be rather foolish for the bees to start
brooding when the first pollen is 3 months on,
let alone the delta T issue

For those who forget, we had this discusion
16 months ago,  check archives

dave

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