Thanks for the comments and the humor. Wind "rearranged" the snow last night so I had to blow more snow today. Bees are nice and cozy in their winter wraps but probably wishing it was spring already. Couldn't find any sweaters the right size so we had to buy them fur lined ear muffs this year!!!!!!!! On the other hand, maybe I should look in there to see if any of them traded their ear muffs for leather Harley jackets; you never know about bees with a little time on their hands
Only had about 50 hives that were in excess of the truck load I shipped to California so I broke them down to 12 pallets of 4 so they wrapped well for winter. They did fly a little a week or so ago when it was in the mid 40's (F) so they've already had more time for cleansing flights than normal. The blower was made in Canada for A&O Forklifts and it is made for the Hummer Bee Forklift. Just run the forks in and attach a short chain to the mast so it doesn't slide off when you go in reverse. Runs off the hydraulics; there is a quick connect on the side-shift so it is easy and quick to get up and running. The soft cab keeps the snow out of the old man's eyes and it catches a little heat off the engine down below. The machine is articulated and will get into some very tight places.
Our winter has been very mild so far and is within the expectations for El Nino. Same deal as last year but I'm not complaining!! Wife and I will drive to California right after the new year to feed our bees in California to get them ready for the almond bloom.
