Here is Alex peeking into a few of our hives on the first evening we arrived in northern California.  We did not have time to actually work bees, but it is always satisfying to visit some of them as soon as possible.  This particular spot ended up having the highest survival rate and the highest average population, so it was a good spot to take a sneak peek.

We made the usual round of supplemental feeding and mite treatment in hopes of stimulating lots of healthy baby bees coming into the world before the bloom commences.  We were quite happy to see more brood in development than we usually find at this point in January.  We enjoyed a few days around 70F as we worked, and the next couple weeks look to be around 60F and dry.  Our odds of raising good strong bees in those conditions are excellent!  We even saw some significant natural pollen being foraged at one location.

Here is a pretty view of another location as dusk approached.  They will all be in the orchards within the next week or two.

Overall, we are optimistic that we have a good number of very strong hives, and the weaker ones ought to grow in view of the brood in progress and the positive reaction to the pollen patties we gave them.  Even medium strength hives had furrows chewed into the patties after two days.  The next month will show us if our optimism will be rewarded.

It also feels great to be back in northern California after three years elsewhere.  We were further south in Cali for two years, and we spent last winter in Texas as we surveyed the national collapse of bee populations. 

There is something special about the narrow northerly end of the valley with the Sierra to the east and the coastal range a shorter drive to our west.  A number of longtime bee families reside in the area, and it feels right to be around them too.  

One or two of us will check the bees again leading into bloom around mid February.  There are rumors of an early flash bloom across almond varieties if warmth persists...there were more cooling nights than any year since 1985 for the trees, so they get all excited if heat comes in January and early February.  We will see what nature decides!