Year 3 May - Riding Her Out 🖊️

-Wonderful Wyoming weather.

Springtime in the Rockies

Hey there! It’s that time of year, and Wyoming’s throwing us for a loop. All those imported trees and flowers are bursting into bloom, ready for the bees. But guess what? This year, just like almost every other Wyoming year I can remember, it’s not going to be that straightforward.

You see, at this time of year, it’s a wild rollercoaster of weather. First, we get hit with three to four days of snow. Then, we get a calm day at a nice 50°F. After that, brace yourself for a windy day with highs in the 60s°F and gusts over 40mph. And just when you think it’s settling down, here comes another round of 30°F to 40°F snowy weather.

Yep, we’ve got four more inches of snow tonight, seven more inches tomorrow, and a couple more after that. Up near the mountains where I live, it’s going to be double that, plus gusty winds above 30mph. Welcome to springtime in the Rockies!

It’s tough on the plants, the bees, and, of course, the beekeeper. I always remind myself that, with one exception, I’ve always cut lilac blossoms in a foot of heavy, wet, cold snow. And it’ll be a while before those lilacs bloom.

Rocky Mountain Bees

Spring is no walk in the park for our bees here. Most people think bees struggle through the winter, but with enough feed and shelter from the wind, they do surprisingly well. They hunker down, reduce activity and broodnest temperature, consume little food, and raise just a small amount of brood. They breeze through a Wyoming winter.

But spring is a different story. Activity skyrockets, and the bees chow down on massive amounts of food and water. Those overwintered bees need it to keep the broodnest near 95°F because new brood is on the way. You see, those old bees will tire themselves out rearing a new generation that taps into spring’s pollen and nectar sources.

It’s been almost seven months since the bees have seen any blooming flowers. Everything has to be just right. Any hitches now, and the hive is in trouble. Unlike warmer climates, there’s not much a beekeeper can do this time of year. Any intervention now would do more harm than good. It’s too cold, wet, and windy to work with the bees.

Elsewhere

The weather in Delta Junction, Alaska, where I ran a small sideline outfit years ago, is more settled and warmer than Wyoming right now. Meanwhile, the bee season is almost wrapping up in Florida as they approach their scorching summer dearth. I suspect the rest of the country is somewhere in between, with queens being reared and mated, swarms being gathered, flowers being pollinated, and honey being gathered. A new season of life, expectation, and joy is well underway.

Wyoming

But here in Wyoming, winter weather is still hanging on. Our high elevation and our spot directly below the jet stream mean the battle between warm and cold air rages on a bit longer. Our seasonal rebirth is still a brood cycle away.

Yet, for the survivors, this new snow is life. It’ll slowly melt its way down from the mountains, cascade down clear mountain streams to reservoirs below, fueling new life and hope along the way. And when the summer sun threatens to scorch everything away, its cool flow will extend life throughout the remaining season.

In Wyoming, there’s an expression, Let ‘Er Buck. Normally, it refers to another kind of wrangling, but for a Wyoming bee wrangler like me, it best refers to our spring weather. And you know what? I’ll be riding her out.

-Cheers, D 🌸🐝