Unfortunate news following a harsh February–our honeybees didn’t make it through the cold.  A mid-January check-in with Megan Paska of Brooklyn Honey raised few alarms: the hive was full of winter stores, and no wax moths, mice or mites were noted.  But when Meg and rooftop farm staff Emily Francois and Shaun Dubreil picked a sudden warm day for a February hive inspection, the bees were found dead in the hive.

Similar reports came in from beekeeping friends around the city, from north Brooklyn to hives at the Rockaways.

Megan and Annie Novak, the farm manager at Eagle Street, have decided to introduce a Russian variety of bees to the hives this year.  Raised on Long Island, the colony is bred to be winter-hearty.  Although known to be less gentle to work with, it seems that in a rooftop environment, where the wind blows fierce and cold without the benefit of a tree or shrub windscreen, these hearty girls might be a better bet for urban beekeepers.

You can read more of Megan’s musings on beekeeping for the Huffington Post, and Annie’s reflections on the good work last years’ colonies did here with The Atlantic.