Kai put on his kid-size bee veil and gloves today for the first time today. He fed the bees what may likely be their last feeding of the winter. It consists of an inverted mason jar full of honey -- honey that we had harvested from them in the fall -- with small pinholes punched in the lid. The jar sits on the top screen of the hive so the bees can get up there and take the honey out. Karl has covered the jar and the screen with a few old towels so the entire hive stays warm.
It's hard to know how much food they need now. Because their hive sits inside a sunny enclosed porch, it certainly never got as cold as it would have if it were out in the backyard. In the winter when it's cold, the bees cluster together in a tight ball to keep themselves -- and most importantly, the queen -- warm. Because the porch is relatively warm, they may have been moving around a bit more and therefore needed more food during the winter. The last few days have been warm enough that the bees have gotten out and about, but there isn't a whole lot blooming just yet. It would be terrible if the hive starved to death during these last few weeks of cold weather.
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