I’m writing The Buzz on December 2, a day when snow id drifting down from a gray sky. The bees are eating from their stored honey stash and keeping warm. 

To give Buzz readers a glimpse of the habitat and climate for bees and the rest of us Nebraskans, I check out  photos by photographer, Don Brockmeier.  He often publishes his current photos on his Instagram account. Today I found a brilliant photo for December that I would like to share with you. With permission from the photographer, please see and marvel at a cock pheasant styling the glowing colors and intricate patterns in his display of feathers.

Just in time, the cold rains arrived at the Bee Yard, and the day before, we insulated the lids  and added a protective covering to the outside of the hive box, and fed them one more time.  The bees stay active throughout the cold season in Nebraska.  They will fly on any day when temps reach 50 Degrees to clean-out their digestive systems.  Colder days draw them into their cluster where they warm the hive by shivering.  The bees cluster around their queen. 

When the sun shines in October, and the temperatures rise into the 50 Degree range, bees are flying about the hive and when their  antennae sense a flower blooming within their traveling territory, they will be there gathering pollen and maybe a drop of nectar. Late blooming Annis Mint plants attract bees in the fall.

Enjoy the photo by Master Photographer, Don Brockmeier.  Bees are finding pollen and probably some nectar in the Annis Mint flowers blooming in late autumn.

Brockmeir’s patience and artistry and  technical skills with his camera capture the productivity and also technical skills of the honey bee.  Thank you for sharing this photo, Don.  See more of Don Brockmeier photos on Instagram at donbrockmeier4.

The truest statement I can ever make is – Nothing is certain about Nebraska weather – yet I will say that October may be my favorite month because the temperatures most often fit in the comfort range. I wear  a light jacket.  October brings a freeze or two or more yet the sun shines and we warm-up during the day. The leaves brighten in their autumn colors, and then drift down to paint the sidewalks in splotches of burnt orange and yellow and garnet.

A few Nebraska pollinator plants continue offering blooms into late September.  I’m seeing small flowers on the purple aster plant that appeals to native bees and the imported honey bees searching for season’s end nectar and honey. 

We harvested the bee’s honey in late August.  See us in harvesting mode. We tightened our bee suits to prepare for a battalion of  bees that focused their fight on us. Zippers, Velcro, duct tape, and we were ready.  We once again valued our smoker because the smoke seems to placate the bees or confuse the bees or contain the majority to their home/the hive as we lifted off their hard-earned store of honey. 

September is dedicated to feeding the bees a solution of honey and sugar so that they can replace the food that we stole from them.  We also medicate for varroa mites, the scourge of the beekeeping world.

The worker bees fly every day if the temperature is above 50 Degrees F. so they continue the search for nectar and pollen and water. 

What do our bees do in August?  They search the acres surrounding the hive for late blooming flowers, and I see the tiny bags on their back legs stuffed with golden pollen and also a red pollen. Their stock of honey is safely (so they think) in their hive. 

When we suit up and prepare to lift the honey from each of our hives, the bees react as one would expect – in a fury. I cannot describe the experience of being the focal point of Sixty thousand (60,00) furious bees. In seconds of time they recognize us as thieves invading their hive and stealing their hard-earned honey, and the guard bees react by emitting  pheromones that express to all the sisters to come forth and fight for their food.  They follow as directed, and a storm of angry bees descends on us beekeepers so we hurry and either blow the bees off the frames or brush them off the frames with a soft brush or a combination of both methods.  

Another method requires applying a stinky and strong chemical to a fume board.  When the fumes  permeate the hive the bees descend to their entrance and leave the hive. None of these methods deter the wrath of the bees. Efficiency and courage are required at this time.