WILD NEW JERSEY: The New York Times: Beekeeping in the winter

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WILD NEW JERSEY: The New York Times: Beekeeping in the winter

The New York Times: Beekeeping in the winter

Photo credit: The New York Times

Several weeks ago, during a severe cold snap in the northeast, I didn’t have my usual anxiety about whether my hives would survive the bitter chill. I already knew the answer: “No way – they haven’t got a chance.” My certainty was based on a mid-December bear attack. I had crawled into bed at about midnight only to hear the all-too-familiar rumble of hive boxes being knocked askew. The local bear had bent down the metal fencing, leaned into the enclosure far enough to topple the hive boxes toward himself, and was looking for a meal of insects. Whether he was smart enough to know it or not, there would be no stinging this chilly evening, as the bees were clumped into a tight ball for survival.