Our bees made it through the worst of the winter (so far!). We had the longest below-freezing period on record for North Carolina, with night-time temps down to -4º one evening. Would the bees survive? We can’t open the hives to check as that would let in cold air.
Bees do not hibernate in winter. Instead, when the temp inside the hive drops to between 54º and 57º they form a bee cluster, and vibrate their flight muscles to generate warmth. That cluster moves around the inside of the hive eating reserve honey stores for food energy. At the center of the cluster it stays a balmy 92º!
Yesterday, the cold spell broke and went up to almost 60º outside, and all four of the hives showed they survived and were out foraging for water and food. Great news!
Mid-October is the time to plant garlic here in the mid-Atlantic. I purchased a half pound of mixed soft-neck garlic. Garlic from a seed supply store comes in large bulbs. You break apart the bulb into smaller cloves, and plant the cloves about 2 inches deep with the pointy end up, then cover with soft soil. In the picture I haven’t covered the cloves yet. This batch will grow all winter and spring, and be ready for harvesting sometime around early August next year.
Frogpond Acres 