Does a Rainy Phoenix Winter increase Bee Activity in the Spring and Summer?
Have you noticed after a particularly rainy Winter in the Phoenix metro area, that in the following Spring and Summer, there seems to be an abundance of honey bee activity?
That’s because more rain during the Winter months usually leads to an explosion of Arizona wildflowers blooming in the following Spring, which in turn, attracts our most prolific pollinators, honey bees.
Why Does More Winter Rain Result in More Bees?
That is because more rain equals more flowers and more flowers equals more food for the Valley of the Sun’s honey bee population.
What Time of Year are Bees Most Active?
Spring is the time of year when honey bees are most active because they are restocking their food supply. Spring is also the time of year when the Queen mates and lays her eggs. As eggs are laid, the colony will grow in a matter of weeks, which can lead to overcrowding.
As the population of the colony grows, there are now more worker bees available for honey production. That means worker bees are actively searching for food needed to support their colony.
What do Worker Bees Do?
Worker bees are able to visit upwards of a few thousand flowers each day to gather nectar, pollen and water. Of course, there are numerous trips back and forth between the hive and the flowers over the course of a day.
Bees bring water back to the hive to assist in regulating its temperature, especially during the warmer Summer months.
While all of this is great news for bees and the ecosystem, this can cause problems for Valley residents, particularly those with young children and pets.