Rain

Rain. 

Rain and rain and rain and rain and rain.

That's what our weather has been since late April. The temperatures have been running close to 10 degrees below normal. Bad for local farmers. Bad for local beekeepers.

Mike calls this weather "British summertime." If anyone in New England is considering taking vacation to either Britain or Ireland, take a look outside your window. That's how to prepare yourself for the weather there.

But all this rain isn't good for the bees. They cannot come out of the hives to collect pollen and nectar when it's raining. And now I'm wondering whether that's all been washed away: they're already robbing the hummingbird feeders. They're really harassing the birds. This robbing doesn't usually take place until late summer or early autumn, when their food sources begin disappearing with the end of the growing season.

We need some relief from this weather, from what my friend Deborah yesterday called "suicide weather." The bees need a break from it, too. We need nectar and pollen for the bees to gather. Otherwise, they'll probably begin eating whatever honey is already in the hive. We're considering feeding them. If they eat the honey there will be no honey for us at the end of the summer. More importantly...no honey for the bees consumer while they try to survive the winter. 

I don't want to lose all my hives again this year to another bad winter.

Time to begin praying for sunshine.

Beannachtai na Féile Pádraig

We drove up to Thomas Ward's Publick House this morning to celebrate the day with a traditional Irish breakfast. We raised a pint of Guinness each (our annual treat) to the old snake-chaser Himself, to departed friends and family, to the good people of Tibet, and to the "ladies" of Pleasant Lane Apiary. It was a bright, blustery morning and the hearty, delicious meal really warmed and filled us!

Home again and as the day warmed a little we were surprised and delighted to see clouds of bees around the entrance of the hive. The winds were still strong and quite cold so the bees were buffeted about as they tried to arrive on the landing board of the hive, the baskets on their rear legs bulging with bright yellow pollen! It was a beautiful sight. It means this hive hasn't starved or frozen to death, hasn't collapsed or absconded for any reason yet. It will be awhile longer, though, before we relax into thinking they've survived another winter.

I'm not certain what plant is offering up this golden pollen in the final days of winter not far from the cold Atlantic ocean, but I am very grateful as this remarkable cycle begins again.

Slán go foille from all at Pleasant Lane Apiaries.