I hadn’t thought about bees
. . . until we saw them swarming around the hummingbird feeder one warm day this week. Then I realized that the recent unusually cold weather had killed off most of the flowers they rely on for survival. After a little research I learned that you can serve them sugar water. Although it is not recommended as a regular feeding plan, it is useful in extreme circumstances. So, we designed a bee feeder. Further input from a bee keeper turned me on to pollen patties. A little more research - sugar water provides energy, pollen provides protein. Amazon came through and now our bees have energy and protein. As soon as it gets a bit warmer, I will replace the flowers they really need. In the meantime, we are doing what we can to feed the bees.
When the water temps drop the manatees gather near sources of warm water including near the outflow from the power plant in Riviera Beach. This is the site of Manatee Lagoon, an educational center and viewing area. This week it was jam packed with manatees. Overall they looked healthy, but the heavy barnacle covering on several is not a good sign. Click on an image to view it full screen.
A few more pictures from this week around the ‘hood.
