Feed the Bees
For a moment, I thought I had lost them.
My Bees Arrived on Sunday
For the last several days, the wind howled the temperatures dropped and it sure hasn’t felt like spring to either of us.
The day before yesterday, the wind blew a bee up against my window as I was pulling into the garage.
I felt so sorry for the little thing that tapped it into an empty water jar and gave it a ride backout to the hive. Poor little thing trying to fly in this wind.
My first hive, bravely baring the elements and standing tall against the cold & wind.
The Sound of Silence
The wind finally let up this morning.
I went out to check on my bees with a gallon of syrup in hand.
And for a moment…
I thought I had lost them.
There was no activity.
Not a single bee moving at the entrance.
One lay still on the landing board, and a handful more scattered on the ground below. No buzzing. No hum. Just quiet.
Too quiet.
See the second green line? See the bees lying dead in a row like airplanes on a runway?
And the dead bees by the entrance? My heart just sank…
What Does Bee Triage Look Like?
I set everything down, laid on the ground, and started working at the straps I had so proudly tightened just days before. Tight enough to hold through wind…
…tight enough that I could barely get them off.
That’s how it goes sometimes. You do something right—and still have to learn from it.
Eventually, I got the lid loosened and lifted it just enough to look inside.
And there they were.
Alive.
Working.
Clustered together, building comb along the outer frames. Not spread out, not flying, not busy in the way I expected—but very much there.
Doing exactly what bees do when it’s still cold.
Staying close. Staying warm. Moving slower than I thought they should.
That was all I needed to see.
There they were - working away inside wondering “who let in all the cold air?”
YUP that was me…
What Was I Worried About?
This colony is expanding.
There is brood in there ready to hatch.
And yet the conditions outside aren’t matching what they needed:
wind that limits foraging
cold nights that burn through their energy
spring… not quite ready to fully show up
So, I do what I would do for any animal on this farm.
I feed them.
Just like I feed the cows hay when the pasture isn’t growing.
Back to the Task at Hand…
As I stood there, pouring that syrup into the feeder, I saw the bees climb up and start eating away at the banquet table I had just provided for them.
That’s when one of those little songs popped into my head out of nowhere…
“Feed the birds… Tuppence a bag…”
Only this time it wasn’t birds.
It was bees.
And I caught myself smiling as I quietly changed the words:
“Feed the bees…”
The warm syrup in the feeder reflects the clouds floating aimlessly in the sky…
Mission Accomplished!
I didn’t stay long.
No smoker. No full inspection. Just a quick check, a little reassurance, and a gallon of support.
Because sometimes that’s all that’s needed.
Not interference.
Just presence.
Envisioning the Future
Walking back, I looked over at the row of old tires I’d been collecting, waiting patiently to have a second life.
Empty for now.
But not for long….
Old tires in the “Bee Garden” soon to be planters & bloom all season with colorful flowers
There’s a lot more coming.
For them.
And for me.
Reader Question
Have you ever had a moment where you thought something was failing… only to realize it was simply adjusting?
Today’s Soundtrack:
Feed the Birds – Mary Poppins
(Or… if you’re standing at a beehive with syrup in your hand… feel free to sing it your way 🐝)
Spring is coming to life here on the homestead - read about it everyday…
Click here to visit Country Girl’s curated collection of what she uses to run her farm.
