Sunshine and rising temperatures are luring bees out of their hives in Saxony. They use the spring-like weather not only for their cleaning flight, but also to gather new food, explains beekeeper Peter Gruner. He looks after around 80 colonies in Mülsen (Zwickau district). They are currently feeding on winter aconites, snowdrops, hazelnuts and crocuses. According to Gruner, they mainly collect pollen there as food for their brood. The willow blossom then provides the first important source of nectar.
The fact that bees fly out at the end of February is not unusual in itself, emphasizes the deputy chairman of the Saxon Beekeepers' Association. This is because they do not hibernate and leave their hives from a temperature of 10 to 12 degrees. In other years, this has already happened at the end of December. This is a good opportunity for beekeepers to look inside the hives to check the condition of the colonies. This will show how well they have come through the winter so far.
