Where are the bees?

[StupidBird]

Maybe I am jumping the gun. We've had several lovely sunny days, weeds, early flowers and my plum trees are blooming and I have seen NO honeybees. In five minutes observation of one semi dwarf plum today, I saw one wasp, one carpenter bee, three at most of those little bitty waspish things and a fly. This tree is covered in fully open plum blossoms.

Am I panicking too soon? Did the hives up the road all die or something? But ... I usually see some insects on the blooming weeds. I only used one round of organic horticultural oil four weeks ago. Still wouldn't explain no bees in other parts of the garden.

 

[TOP KNOT]

Oh they probably died from gmo crops.

 

[keesmom]

I had a very strong hive going into the winter. In December they were doing well, and had plenty of honey stored up. Yet I checked yesterday and they are all dead. Still plenty of honey. I've had this hive for 7 years and it has always done well. I'm hearing others have lost hives that should have made it too.

 

[StupidBird]

Update: yesterday I saw one honeybee. Had to let it loose from the shed.
Topknot: don't think it's GMO's, not any farm crops within a couple miles...pastures, woods, suburbia here.
Keesmom: sorry for your loss, that must be devastating.

My 27 yo ds seriously suggested I go around with a fluffy brush and pollinate the fruit trees by hand.

 

[StupidBird]

Well, good news! Yesterday was finally sunny and warmer after days of cold rain and the white Bradford / Callery pear was humming loudly with bees. Guess I got worried over nothing!

 

[kitfoxdrvr]

Not worrying over nothing. Colony Collapse Disorder has a lot of people worried. Last winter I know of apiaries that lost half their hives. I lost one hive this winter out of ten, two this past winter, and the others have been slow to get going. Regardless, they generally stay in or near the hive until it is about 50 degrees. My plums are also blooming, and it is in the forties, so I don't expect any plums being conceived today! Hopefully later this week, assuming the high twenties we are expecting the next few nights don't destroy the buds that have not already opened!

Keesmom, have you replaced your queen in the past 7 years? I re-queen every two years now, not depending on them to create their own healthy, strong queens.

 

[Black Bear Hink]

They've been all over my peach trees. I haven't used any pesticides here in years, though. I'm getting my first hive in May. I keep adding fruit trees and blueberries, so I thought I'd try my hand at bee keeping (not to mention, I eat a ton of honey!)

 

[3riverschick]

If you have a sunny south facing wall on which you can mount a board drilled with the right number
and width/depth of holes, you could by a colony of mason bees. They are strictly pollinators and
don't make honey. Tiny little things. They live in the holes in the board.
Best,
Karen in western PA

 

[Tashatu]

I have been wondering exactly the same thing. Year in/year out there are lots of bees (honey or native) on the fully blooming crocuses. I see none! Not any other flying insects either!

 

[jen.bolduc]

alot of bees are dying its very unhealthy for the earth