The Bees Sneeze

continued

to make foraging worth their while. Forced to live on food stored from last year, many hives experienced a shortage when temperatures dropped back into the thirties and forties. Most bees cannot leave the hive at those low temperatures, so even though by that time there was plenty of food outside, they were in danger of starvation.

"This is a touchy time," said Mendel in late March. "Right now it's a case of paying attention. If you just walk away and think your bees will be fine, you're going to get a surprise."

Beekeepers can add food--sugar granules or sugar water--to the top of the hive if necessary. But once the fragile cycle of bees and blooms gets out of sync--as it did this spring--it can mean a big setback, not just for bees, but for the fruit trees and other crops they pollinate.

"If we have a long spring now, with temperatures back in the forties or worse, and a lot of rain, [then] a lot of blossoms will be washed out of nectar or won't be generated at all," said Mendel. "If things don't go well [with the weather], everything could go sideways."