I've never seen such a winter!

In January my backyard bees were in heavy flight during the maple bloom. At 
the end of January I hefted them, and they were in good shape weightwise.

This past week they have been flying furiously, carrying yellow pollen. I 
don't know what they are working. Some fruit trees are opening bloom.

Today, I saw a very large prime swarm, about five weeks ahead of the normal 
season, and about two weeks earlier than I've ever seen. It's been in the 
80s now for three days.

I tried to capture the swarm, and when I opened a deep super on a hive to 
get a frame of honey (to entice the swarm), the bees were capping new honey 
in the centers of the frames. The hive was packed wall to wall with bees.

I do not know if the swarm was from my own bees or from one of the bee trees 
in the woods behind me, but either way, they've not been treated for varroa 
or hive beetles. Nor have they had any any feeding since fall.

Nice to see beautiful bees in fine shape with no help from me...

I'm grieving that the swarm was apparently already in process of selecting a 
site, as they left, while I was trying to entice them into a hive. The 
swarm, probably five or six pounds, was pulling my camellia bush way down. I 
set the hive with foundation and a frame of new honey on a drum right in 
contact with the swarm. I expected them to look it over and march right in. 
But they flew off instead. I could not keep up with them, but they appeared 
to head toward a wooded area on the other side of my property.

I was not really surprised, as there was a lot of dancing on the surface of 
the swarm. I got a little bit of video, which I'll try to get on my blog in 
the morning.

I am also fearful that we may have more cold weather, and such a mighty 
swarm may not survive without reserves or someone to feed them.

Dave Green
Coastal SC 

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