Curse you, Punxsutawney Phil.
On Groundhog Day 2017, the rotund rodent saw his shadow and disappeared back into his burrow, predicting another six long weeks of winter.
That’s not good news for our honeybees. If Phil is right, that’s another month and half of before the first flowers of springtime offer nectar and pollen to over-wintering bees.
February and March are tough months for honeybees. There will be a few warm days when bees can fly and stretch their wings, but the sunshine holds a false promise at this time of year, simply tempting the bees to burn valuable energy and deplete their scant remaining stores of honey.
We can’t wait to see the first crocuses of spring, with their heavy loads of high-protein pollen. Dandelions and daffodils won’t be far behind.
Hurry, springtime! Our bees are hungry.