Here at Winterpast, the news isn’t what we wanted to hear. Our bees are failing like so many more in Northwestern Nevada in 2024. The scary part is that there’s no obvious answer as to why. Not even the best entomologists throughout the country can identify the cause. But, when dealing with wild animals, that’s often the case.
With such optimism, we started this journey with the 2023 Christmas gift of a hive and tools. We attended classes and ordered books from which to learn. The most beautiful mentor came to Winterpast to not only help us, but to become a dear friend.
Our very calm, sweet, and expensive Saskatraz bees were delivered and “installed” into our hive. Even bee hives are available from Amazon, although a real bee keeper would never purchase one there. Live and learn the 100 reasons why while surrounded with 25,000 flying friends.
HHH has suffered through stings, while I’ve avoided them for now. All the while, we’ve watched and learned from these wonderful little creatures as the spring and summer seasons have flown by.
As it turns out, on August 6th, over 60 bee keepers came together for the monthly meeting. They all share and intense love of bees. With over 600 collective hives, only two held extra honey. The rest are in real trouble.
Wednesday, our sweet Bee Lady came to visit. With excitement, we hoped that we could be the 3rd hive that had extra honey. Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be. Our top honey super (shorter box) was completely empty. No comb. No honey crop. Nothing. Our hive is suffering just like all the rest in Northwestern Nevada. This failure is across the state, from the desert to Lake Tahoe.
Our queen may have died, but at the very least, the hive is stressed for reasons unknown to us. They’ve had food and water at the correct times. They were treated for mites. Their hive was placed in their very own private spot in the back yard. We planted every kind of flower any bee would love. And yet, they failed.
We won’t know the outcome for another month or two. It’s possible the hive will live through the winter, but as we march toward fall, the population will naturally decrease. Without the proper number of bees to warm the hive through the winter, they’ll freeze to death.
Please, pray for the bees of the world. The Bee Lady summed it up this way. Without bees, we would still have wheat for bread. However, the jams and jellies of the world would be a thing of the past. Bees bring wonderful fruits and vegetables to our lives.
If you’re bored this weekend, learn a little about bees. They’re pretty fascinating little animals. Please remember, they need our prayers. Have a wonderful weekend.
