The bees are all right (February 26, 2021)

The winter storm temperature dropped as low as zero degrees at Cornerstone.  We couldn't check on the bees as the Zoomer could not have navigated the mile-long dirt road through the snow.  Besides, we didn't want to open the hive and let icy air inside.  Honeybees have been in North America for about 14 million years.  We trusted that the hive would know how to survive.  We read online that when it's extremely cold, bees cluster and vibrate to keep the temperature at 95 degrees.  When we drove up, we were heartened to see bees at the entrance.

 The winter storm killed much of the flora at Cornerstone.  To ensure the bees wouldn't starve, we gave them sugar water as a nectar substitute and a pollen patty, as they need pollen for protein.  We continued the weekly sugar water feeding for four weeks, until March 20.