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Ralph Yamamoto's Blog Premature Spring in Oregon 2026
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  • Author Author: ralphjy
  • Date Created: 5 Feb 2026 7:00 AM Date Created
  • Views 763 views
  • Likes 12 likes
  • Comments 34 comments
  • beebox
  • bumblebees
  • winter pollinators
  • honeybees
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Premature Spring in Oregon 2026

ralphjy
ralphjy
5 Feb 2026

We've had a pretty mild winter so far in the greater Portland area.  We haven't had any snow yet in the Willamette Valley and our local snowpack in the Mt. Hood area is about 30% of normal.  This week we've had a couple of days of record high daytime temperatures in the low 60's (F).

I was walking with my grandson and 2 granddogs and we noticed lots of bee activity in a patch of Heather (at least that's what my wife calls it).  Mostly Honeybees and Bumblebees, also a few others that I couldn't identify.  Unfortunately, I wasn't able to get any bee pictures because I had a bag of dog poop in one hand and was trying to control the dogs with the other.

image

It got me thinking about beacon_dave and site preparation for BeeBox.  I'm looking forward to learning about how his BeeBox does this season.

When we got home I took a look at the only two plants (Hellebores and Camelias) that are currently blooming in our yard and found that we also are having bee activity.  The bees weren't very cooperative so I didn't get any good closeup pics like Dave gets.

Older granddog

image

Good eye test to see if you can spot the honeybee in the next two pics.  The third pic is of a bee that I can't identify.  And I wasn't able to get a pic of the one bumblebee that I saw.

image

image

image

It looks like we will be back to colder and wetter weather next week.  I am hopeful for a good bee season this spring and summer.

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  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave 5 months ago

    First bumblebee sightings of the year here today. One at work and another hard at work on the Hellebores in the back garden.

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  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave 5 months ago

    First bumblebee sightings of the year here today. One at work and another hard at work on the Hellebores in the back garden.

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  • ralphjy
    ralphjy 5 months ago in reply to beacon_dave

    Any BeeBox activity?

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  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave 5 months ago in reply to ralphjy

    Ready and waiting...

    image

    Having some doubts whether or not the queen I saw can actually fit through the hole. Bee

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  • ralphjy
    ralphjy 5 months ago in reply to beacon_dave

    Fingers crossed

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  • beacon_dave
    beacon_dave 5 months ago in reply to ralphjy

    Spotted a queen scouting the garden today - under the shed, around the composting bins, in the wood pile, around the wheelie bins, around the garden walls, in the long grass, under the car... Unfortunately BeeBox wasn't on her flightpath so couldn't see if there was any interest.

    Weather is all over the place at the moment, four seasons in one day. Overnight frosts, storms, heavy rain, hail, sunny intervals... At least BeeBox didn't blow away, first real test of the wind resistance.

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  • ralphjy
    ralphjy 5 months ago in reply to beacon_dave

    I think that I might have seen a queen in the backyard earlier this week.  Or more correctly, I was buzzed by a VERY large bumblebee that appeared to be searching the area.  The weather here has been problematic too, but luckily we are not in an area that is prone to flooding.  My backyard has nothing flowering currently, all the activity has been in the front yard which is on the east side.  I'm hopeful that things will improve in the next few weeks.  We finally had a couple of days in a row of full sun, but the overnight temps were in the 30s (F).  Sunrise to sunset is about 12 1/2 hours and daytime temps are in the 60s.

    My wife mentioned to me that she saw a large bumblebee this afternoon when she was cleaning out the area around the rose bushes in the backyard.  Not sure if that could be the same one.  I've read that the process of finding a suitable nesting site could take a few weeks?

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