Spring has arrived! Well, we think it kind of is… After an unusually rough winter for beekeeping in Tennessee, the U.S. Pest Protection Bee Aware beehives have survived the battle and begun to bring in spring pollen and nectar. This time of year is always so exciting as it is filled with so much promise. The pollen is multi-colored, the nectar is light and aromatic, and the queens are laying eggs like it’s going out of style. These days we can expect our queens to be laying up to 1000 eggs per day.
The biggest challenge for beekeepers this time of year is to give the colonies enough room to grow but not give them too much room where they can’t defend their homes. If you don’t give them enough room they swarm and if you give them too much room then pests will move in and attack! It’s challenging, invigorating, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. What’s the honey going to taste like this season? Is it going to be ultra sweet and light? Will it be darker and bolder with a hint of Tulip poplar? Only time will tell. Tune in next month to see how much our little colonies have grown. Special thanks to U.S. Pest Protection for helping us bring back the honeybee in Middle Tennessee.
This past winter was one of the worst on record for honeybees with average colony losses between 70-80%. This situation simply cannot continue and without the help of generous local businesses, we don’t know where we’d be right now. Happy Spring! Watch this spring queen push her way through the crowd and get polished by her workers along the way!
As the seasons change and the weather get’s more bee-friendly, we continue to create the conversation with our customers about the awareness of the importance of bees and pollinators to humanity. As a bee-friendly pest control, the first in the world to be correct, we are heavily focused on being a leader in the pest control industry in encouraging other companies and customers to bee-aware :).