Blizzard Nemo Blankets My Bees In Snow
The weather forecasters predicted epic snowfall and historic blizzard conditions here in Beverly this weekend. As people around me stocked up on essentials like milk, bread and cases of beer (what you need for every snowstorm apparently), the state of Massachusetts declared a state of emergency which banned people from driving on the roads under threat of jail time. The snow raged on and the winds howled all night as the blizzard covered my town and my bees in snow. Many lost power, luckily we did not, and by morning the snow was still falling. The overnight snowfall was more than two feet tall with four-foot snowdrifts in places. Blizzard Nemo blanketed my bees in snow (and us too). Check out these pictures below.
After we shoveled a path out the door to get to the hives, we shoveled out the hive entrances to make it easier on the girls to get out and also to keep the ventilation flowing well throughout the hive. For the roof top hives this meant shoveling off our flat roof first so we could get to them. As you can see even the rooftop nucs were buried in snow.
The top bar was also covered in snow. The design of the top bar with the overhanging roof, stood up better in the storm and meant these girls did not need to be dug out at all, their entrances remained clear.
Although my bees and my family fared well, one of my chickens, Suzie, was much too eager to get out and explore the snow this morning. The rest of the girls wisely stayed inside the coop. Poor Suzie flew out as soon as I opened the door this morning and got stuck in the snow underneath the coop. She had to be rescued by my son, Finn, the chicken wrangler.
The blizzard is expected to rage on all day long so if you are “Finding Nemo” nearby, I hope you are surviving intact and staying warm! Just don’t forget to check on your bees and keep those entrances clear!
For more Nemo Blizzard pictures check out the gallery below. Just click on a picture to open it and use the arrows to scroll through the photos. If you are having trouble viewing the gallery and are reading this post in an email or reader just click on this link to read this post on my website.
This post was shared on the Homestead Barn Hop.