One Sunny Day

The weather in the LA area has been all over the place lately.  There have been days of rain and nights colder than usual.   It has been a hard season for the bees.  I generally go out and glance at the hives most days, just a quick shot never opening the hives.   From what I hear the bees are less than friendly when the weather is not to their liking.
I have noticed that for the last three - four weeks the number of bees going in and out is much lower and they may be active only for a few select hours a day.  During the cold snap they would be out if the sun was shining but as soon as the temperature dropped any at all they were quickly back inside.

Today I was out around 9AM and the sun was up nicely.  I had recently cut the fronds off the palm tree that shaded the Twitchy Hive.   The bees seem to have approved of that.

The bees were pouring out of every nook and cranny.  When I had put the opening restriction in place I was not garbed and there was a guard bee that kept buzzing me so I did not tarry .  It is obvious I failed to snug it up to the hive and bees can get in and out along the length of it.   I will slip out later tonight and make it a tighter fit.  (I just took care of that.)
Look closely and you will see some pollen coming in.  It is not in Spring or Summer quantities but there is enough to show we have flower most of the year in the Southern California temperate zone along the coast.  There is a dearth but nothing like they have in most of the country during the Winter.
By four PM the bees were all back inside and keeping the hive ball at 90 degrees or so.

Merry Christmas, keep your personal hive snug and warm.  Plus consider The Gift Of Bees in the previous post.