Hello fellow inatters. I’m in SE PA and it’s been very dry and warm here. It’s November and it was 82F today. So the bees be able to hibernate if it is still warm? I’m so concerned over the overwintering queens there is precious little blooming other than witch hazel and non native hollies (reblooming I’m assuming?).
6 Likes
This climate disaster is hitting everything hard… not just winter hibernation, but this article published 4 years ago shows temperature highs are also a problem. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.aax8591
This Smithsonian article points out how plant phenology (bloom times) can affect bees; https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/how-climate-change-messing-bees-ability-pollinate-180956523/ My last morning glory was in full bloom Nov. 4th, and throughout October there were many native bee visits here in MA. Last week I needed to caution my garden project volunteers about the bees frequenting catmint and Russian sage plants.
Bee hibernation varies, but it’s usually a matter of protecting the newly mated queen. Most say the trigger is temps dropping to 50-55 degrees F: but after we had a week of that weather, it was back to 80 for several days, the 50s, then high 70s again. My hope is, some queens will wait out a few early temp drops, maybe waiting for sustained 40-degree weather. But we’re asking for long-term genetic selection to happen fast: not a happy scenario.
I couldn’t find data on what happens if a queen starts to hibernate, then comes out of hibernation… As with bears, conservation of energy through low metabolism is the point of hibernation, and if it’s interrupted, with no food available (nectar and pollen), the statistics for survival aren’t good.
3 Likes
That’s my concern. We had low temps even into the 30s overnight and even some mornings and now we’re having 80-70degree days with 50s and 60s overnight.
Last year I had way more bees in the garden and this spring even I had such a lovely surge of bees but we suddenly had really warm days and I wonder if that killed some of the queens off or some of the nests at least.
And now with this weather I’m really concerned. I guess only time will tell.
I haven’t seen any female bumbles around only males and only very few ones.