> I wonder if this is due to my bees  or the flora?  I wonder if warming in the  SE US is the result of  this?

Interesting observation. I noticed the past two autumns some of my hives almost completely closed the entrances with a curtain of propolis, leaving small round openings about the size of individual bees. There is no shortage of propolis elsewhere in the hives, as well. 

I think the propolis in our area is predominantly poplar, aspens in particular. On the other hand, I always found that bees in southern California were lavish users of propolis, especially around eucalyptus, so I don't think temperature is as much of a factor as availability.

Lastly, it has been noted that some strains of bees use a lot of propolis while others don't

PLB

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