The following story about a recent Colorado study might demonstrate how
global warming could possibly have a deleterious effect on beekeeping, bees
being a "species that depends on seasonal cues for their survival."
   The idea is that warm springs with deeper snowpacks cause animals to come
out of hibernation too soon before vegetation appears, with starvation being
the result.
   The study concerns high altitude areas only, but perhaps there are broader
repercussions at all altitudes. Maybe in the future, we will need to leave
more honey on the hives for winter than in the past, even if spring does seem
to come sooner.

By Margot Higgins
   Climate change may be disrupting the hibernation and migration patterns of
animals and birds, according to a recent study.
   A study in the Feb. 15 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences indicates that global warming may pose special challenges to species
that depend on seasonal cues for their survival.
   Despite a trend toward warmer spring temperatures, the average snowmelt in
areas of high altitude has not changed, noted David Inouye, lead author of
the study. And the snow pack might be getting deeper with time.
   "One prediction of climate change is that winter snow packs are actually
increasing," he said.
   "Vegetation (which depends on snow melt) is not happening earlier at high
altitudes, but species are arriving earlier," Inouye added.
   For example, marmots, which usually hibernate for eight months, are
emerging earlier, risking starvation as they wait longer and longer for the
snow to melt. Marmots are appearing 38 days earlier than they did 23 years
ago, according to the study.
   Similarly, American robins are migrating an average of two weeks earlier
than they did 23 years ago, moving from low-altitude wintering grounds to
high-altitude summer breeding grounds. They, too, must wait longer for the
snow to melt before they can feed and nest.