Bees Take Flight on Warm Winter Days

​With the recent warm weather, we at SeaBee Honey have been busy checking on our hives and have observed many bees taking to the air. This is a natural occurrence during warm spells in late fall and winter, as the bees take advantage of the opportunity to perform cleansing flights (going the bathroom) and remove dead bees from the hive.
While these flights are beneficial to the hive's overall health, many  wonder if the bees are able to collect nectar or pollen during these warm spells in the winter. Unfortunately, the answer is no. No flowers are blooming in the our winter landscape, leaving the foraging bees empty-handed. However, in some cases foraging bees may stumble upon resources from other nearby hives that have failed, bringing back honey to their own colony.
This activity is a clear example of the resilience and adaptability of honeybees. Even in the midst of our cold New England winters, the bees are able to survive.  

On December 4th, 2023 at a resort on the Bahamas, a woman was bumped off her paddle board and attacked by a shark .  A lifeguard from the resort used a rescue boat to help the woman and her companion from the water.  Unfortunately, the woman succumbed to here injuries on the beach and was pronounced dead at the scene.  At this time there is no report on the type of shark or its size.  Seacoast Shark Watch was able to reach a guest at the resort who spoke with people on the beach. Here is what she provided.

• The attack was made about 3/4 mile off the beach. 
• The woman and a companion were both on stand up paddle boards
• The shark was able to knock the woman off her board,
• It then attacked her while she was in the water.
• Her companion yelled for help.
• A resort life guard used a motor boat to help the victims
• The shark was said to be size of the boat
• The boat was estimated to be 16-17 feet long by the guest.

This is a horrendous situation and follows a November 21, 2023 attack on a German tourist who was attacked while she was scuba diving off Tiger Beach, The Bahamas. The woman was seen being attacked but her body has not been recovered and she is presumed dead.

This past June, another tourist was attacked off Taino Beach, The Bahamas, while she was returning to a boat from a scuba dive.  The woman in that attack lost her limb due to the attack.

In September of 2022 another American woman was killed by a shark while she was snorkeling in The Bahamas off Rose Island.  The woman was attacked by a bull shark and died from her injuries. 

The Bahamas authorities will tell you that shark attacks are rare in their waters but it seems to me that they are now happening with an alarming frequency.