Hiveless Spring

After being a beekeeper for the last 5 years, it is very strange to start spring without the hustle and bustle of preparing beehives, installing bee packages and tending to their weekly needs. We are taking a break due to back issues and busy schedules.

The meadow looks so empty:

We moved the apiary from the middle of the meadow to the enclosed blueberry field, just in case there is a change of heart or to be ueber ready for next year.

Some questions emerge:
1. How will the vegetable and flower gardens be impacted with 90,000 more or less fewer honey bees?
2. Will native pollinators fill the pollinating gap again?
3. Will there be more native pollinators with less competition from honey bees and more diversity of them?
4. How will the blueberry plants be effected? Clover?
5. How do honey bees impact native pollinator populations, initially and then over time?

Check back for some of my observations!