Bees Collecting Pollen in December
Bees can find and collect pollen even when we do not see where it is coming from. What does pollen collecting mean for a hive in the winter months? I am not sure, maybe collecting pollen is normal for December, or maybe the above average temps have caused my bees to keep going like it is springtime.
The month of December has brought strange weather patterns to NE Ga. We have had everything from heavy, vegetation killing frost all the way to 80 degree days, and bright sunny skies all the way to heavy flooding rains. The weather patterns are closer to spring than winter.
When I closed the hives back in October I assumed I would be leaving them alone until early spring. However, the weather has been tricky and the bees have been very active. The last two days provided sunshine so I visited the hives. The hives were super busy; bee traffic was going like it was an airport. (The sounds of summer!)
I discovered, once again, the bees are smarter than I am. While nectar and pollen sources are non-existent to my eyes, the bees have their sources and they are certainly bringing in pollen. I saw bees bringing in white, yellow and even red pollen.
Bringing in pollen in December.
I am not sure what it means for the hive. The weather extremes and this pollen collecting are causing me a lot of concerns.
- I am concerned the bees will naturally deplete their honey stores before cold weather does set in and will starve to death before spring.
- I am concerned the pollen means the queen may start laying and there will be insufficient stores to get them through the winter.
- I am concerned the pollen means queen may start laying and the weather will turn cold leaving the bees spread out due to brood rearing and the bees will not be clustered causing chilling (death) and weakening my hives or completely killing the hives.
- I am concerned the worker bees will not survive until spring leaving my hives weakened and unable to protect the queen in the cluster.
- I am concerned the unusually warm weather may cause plants to start blooming then it may turn cold again and kill those plants.
- I am concerned if the normal cycle of the plant is thrown off they may not bloom properly come spring.
- I am concerned the bees may bring in too much pollen, filling in space the queen may need for spring egg laying.
When I harvested honey this year, I made sure I left at least one super full of honey for each hive. This is typically enough stores for my hives, however now I am not sure. I will be keeping an eye on the hives and if we have another week or two straight of above average temps I may open the hives to check on things. I may end up having to provide them with something to eat!
- Honey from my apiary
- Dry granulated sugar
- Sugar water
Bees bringing in white pollen in December.
It is typically assumed winter months give the beekeeper a vacation from checking on the hives. I believe we should still be visiting out hives as much as possible (as weather permits), especially during strange weather patterns.
5 Comments
Hi. Keep a eye on your bees like u are doing and they should be fine. And yes they probably think its spring, if the weather doesn’t get to cold they may need a supper long befor normal.
Good luck.
Every time I read an article or newsletter about recommending feeding bees sugar water…I want to cringe. Over the last 100 years or so this pattern of robbing a hive and then supplementing the bees with sugar water has been such a disastrous mistake. I know many beekeepers have good intentions of mixing up sugar water (or worse yet corn syrup) and thinking they are doing right by the bees. Honey is so important for the healthy survival and regeneration of the hive. We all brag about the miracle benefits found in honey. So do you think the bees need this to survive and feed their babies. Bees were made to proliferate with their magical elixir. That is their food source you strip from them when they need it most in the dead of winter. And we wonder why bees are struggling and why you have to get a new swarm every couple years to replace the ones that died out. Please start harvesting your honey in early spring once you know “for sure” there is enough for the hive. And don’t process it until you know they are resupplying their stores (In case you need to give them back a few more frames).
I am a first year BEEK with 2 hives in mid S Carolina. Are weather is just like in Georgia. My bees are everywhere …I am worried as well. At this time of year ..how much stores will it take to get my hives thru March? I certainly don’t want them to stare to death! They each had a full med super and a few frames in their deep I assume that enough but you know what they say about assumeing. Should I feed them syrup? sugar cakes now so they don’t eat up all there stores…which they will need. Its bound to get cold. 60 and sunny today..bees everywhere
Yes…viable concerns. weather here in Arkansas is just as weird this year. (Nov-Jan 2016) I also left stores in all my hives, but have already started feeding sugar cakes. I will be glad when the real spring get here.
I live in carinthia southern Austria at 800 metres. It’s a Sunny day and 5 degrees centigrade. There is a steady procession of bees coming and going from my hive coming back with with pollen in their leg Sacks. Almost all the same yellow green colour. But I am jiggered If I can see a single flower anywhere!!
David Ede
Bergstraße 3
Annenheim
Kärnten
Österreich
9520