Assessing the weather

[Headnavigator]

Cool and misty here today, with only a vague indication of where the sun is behind the clouds, yet my bees are going absolutely apeshit as if there will be no tomorrow - ivy flow on for certain, but I've never seen them this concentratedly busy. Normally in this weather they would be inside.
Do they know something about the weather forecast that we don't?

 

[ratcatcher]

mine too, just had a look at both hives (national & top bar) both have bees queuing up to enter laden with pollen

 

[beeno]

Hi headnavigator,
I often think they know of impending weather, but perhaps not. Mine are bringing in Ivy pollen like crazy. Hope it's for stores this time. Lots of orientation flights too.

 

[Finman]

.
Here temps are going towards -5C. Just now it is yet +8C.
2 days ago we had first frost.

 

[Teemore]

A good friend reports that his bees have still been flying strongly at 17:30 over the past few days and bringing in copious amounts of ivy pollen. That is unusual in our part of the world during late October but all that really tells me is that the bees are taking advantage of good foraging opportunities any other interpretation is speculation.....

 

[Luminos]

yet my bees are going absolutely apeshit

Did you mean apishit?

 

[Headnavigator]

yet my bees are going absolutely apeshit

Did you mean apishit?

No, that was several weeks ago!

 

[Headnavigator]

Finman you have given me a clue, have just looked at my preferred weather forecasters, yr.no and wetterzentrale.de (much better that UK Met)
Looks like it's going to be really cold here on Fri/Sat/Sun
I guess the bees may know?

 

[Cazza]

Looks like it's going to be really cold here on Fri/Sat/Sun
I guess the bees may know?
:

Any scientific evidence for this?
Cazza

 

[northernsoul]

It's a nice thought that bees and other creatures can predict the weather etc. Given the size of their brains it's unlikely they are going to be anything other than reactive.

If they were that bright they would have solved Varroa themselves and have started selling their own honey

 

[drstitson]

hopefully will stay safe on roads sun night/mon am BUT w/e of 2nd/3rd nov winter tyres are going on.

 

[Margaret Elisabeth]

Orrible only fit for growing heather weather here. Not too cold but definately not cozy the sort of damp that makes granny feel it in her bones. And my bees are wisely staying in-doors. the weather has been so poor here that I swapped from heavy syrup to fondant at the weekend.

 

[Headnavigator]

the weather has been so poor here that I swapped from heavy syrup to fondant at the weekend.

Good point - I'm concerned that with the mizzly weather over the past couple of weeks mine may not have been able to properly store the large amount of 2:1 thymol syrup they've taken down. I guess a bit of fondant might help in the syrup concentration?

 

[beeno]

It's a nice thought that bees and other creatures can predict the weather etc. Given the size of their brains it's unlikely they are going to be anything other than reactive.

If they were that bright they would have solved Varroa themselves and have started selling their own honey

Same as BBC weatherforcasting then.