>>I would have thought Chicago and SE New York would have similar weather.

I am on Long Island, the SE-most part of NY state.  The Atlantic Ocean is a huge temperature moderator here.  If you go into Westchester County, just north of NYC, or Connecticut north of here and you'll experience temps ~10 deg. lower an average.

Currently, we are experiencing a very mild winter.  Most days last week were in the low 50's and most of the coming week is forecast to be in the low 40's at or below freezing at night.
 
>>...Chicago should have spring weather now.  Average high for March
9th is 43 deg f.  The reality is that the  ground is still well frozen and the temps haven't topped 30 deg...

I heard about the snow storm in Canada and the Midwest.  I guess the warm fronts from the south push up along the eastern seaboard and keep the very cold weather from the north and west away from Long Island.  I have been in Chicago in the winter.  The Windy City name is well justified!

>>I suspect that we manage spring differently here because the temps vary more (than New York).

We had a rather cold April last year and the unprepared lost a lot of colonies around here.  A lot of ferals starved to death then, too.  Last season was the slowest as far as removals for me.  Swarming was delayed too - I had a call in the middle of July!  

>>I watched one bee at a time come out, sit in the sun, then fly off.  Didn't see any come back.  Do they know what they are doing?

This sort of behavior used to concern me.  Now I understand this a natural loss of bees that sense their end although this can bring some colonies below the critical mass size.

I observed less cold weather flying when I provided water in the hives in March.  I'd assumed at least some of the cold weather flyers were going for water to dilute honey to feed to the increasing brood.

I wish you good, strong colonies this spring!

Waldemar

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