In mid to late February, the winter rest of the bee colonies comes to an end. The bees have a lot to prepare in the spring and have a lot to do in the next few months. The more active the insects become, the more the need for nutrients increases. Can you and do you have to help as a garden owner?
What happens to the bee colony in spring?
Bees are insects with seasonal behavior. The bee year begins at the beginning of February. The first outdoor flights occur in spring, when daytime temperatures rise above 12 degrees Celsius. At the same time, the breeding season begins - the newly hatched workers are initially provided with honey, and the hive bees offer nectar as a substitute for water. The breeding population increases with each passing day and reaches its peak around the end of May.
The first construction work will begin in spring. New honeycombs are built and the foragers in the bee colony fly to find the first spring flowers. For these flights, sometimes up to 2 km long, the insects fill their honey bladders with 4 mg of honey sugar. Other workers are busy finding and fetching water. This is a complex task that requires a lot of energy.
In February, both feed and water consumption increase. These are normally covered by reserves, but there are always shortages. This deficiency can be corrected through feeding.
When bees fly in the February garden
A sufficient supply of pollen is very important for bees. Conversely – nutrient deficiency has a very negative impact on the entire bee colony. To avoid this, the hobby gardener should do more if possibleearly blooming flowersplant. Ideally right next to the bee colony. The insects can fly up to 50 meters at temperatures around 10 degrees. They can freeze to death on longer flights. For example, the following are well suited:
- The winterling
- The coltsfoot, which provides food not for bees and bumblebees, but also for birds.
- Red butterbur
- snowdrop
If you have bird feeders in your garden, you should hang them as far away from the bee colony as possible.
If there is a lack of food, the bees can become seriously ill and die directly in the hives. Many dead insects in the bees can endanger the survival of the entire colony. Diseases are difficult to detect in wild bees. The life cycle of workers ends in February, so only a beekeeper can estimate whether the dying bees are normal or it is a disease.
Dead bees in the garden: is this normal?
But it can also happen that you suddenly see dead bees in the garden or on the terrace in spring. In most cases these are workers who are at the end of their life cycle. These usually do not die in the hive, but are excreted and die in the cold outside.
Dead bees in the flower bed indicate a problem. It may be that the bed is the only source of food nearby. Nevertheless, it is too far away from the bee colony. The bees freeze to death before they can collect nectar. The flowering plants may also have double flowers. Although they attract insects, the petals block the bees' path and they starve. It may also be that the temperatures are too low. In this case, you can help by filling some honey with water in a ratio of 1 to 1 into a jam jar lid and then placing it in the bed. Change the mixture every day and rinse the glass.
This is how you can help the insects
Some simple measures can help bee colonies in spring. These include, among others:
- Plant early bloomers with open flowers. The garden is already designed to be bee-friendly in February and provides food for the insects.
- Completely avoid pesticides.
- Hang birdhouses and bird feeders far away from the bed.
- Put sugar water or honey water in the bed for the bees. Thoroughly clean and rinse the jam jar lids after each use.
- Do not dispose of dead wood in the garden – it offers nesting opportunities for wild bees.
