What sort of weather are you having? We are having enough wild bees around, and a neighbor has obtained and keeps a hive of honey bees, but since it has been so cold and windy the bees are not around at all.
I have two ornamental crab apple trees and a couple of pear trees, in addition the manzanita and madrone are blooming.
The crab-apples were full of bees as long as we had nice temps, but once this cold, windy, rainy weather started, they are all gone.

Haven't seen too many honey bees, but the wasps & bumble bees are here in abundance. You just need some sunny warm days.

I've observed several bees, of both the honey and bumble variety... plus several wasps and swarms of flies. What few things are flowering are swarmed.

My neighbor came out this morning to find me sitting on the ground staring (slack-jawed) at some un-opened late blooming daffodils. She asked what I was looking at, and I told her I was watching a bumble bee have its way with an underage flower. She said it sounded dirty, and to be honest, it sort of was. The flower was about a day from opening and the bee spent a good three minutes forcing the petals open and crawling inside. When he (she?) left, the petals were askew, and I felt as though I was witnessing something "dirty" ...sometimes I anthropomorphize far too much!

I digress.

My point is that in spite of the earliness of our season, I have not observed the same silence as you. And I've been looking. I sincerely hope your observation is the exception in your area.

There are no absence of bees here either. In fact the honey bees were out in force several days this last week, in addition to the small hovering bees (who took over pollination when we were having our bee crises several years ago). It's been too cold. Bees can't venture far from their hives with such short bursts of warm weather. Around 55 degrees, they get loggy and if they are too far away from their hives, can't get back.

It was warm here today and I was working in the garden and the bees were all over the scilla and daffodils....the only thing blooming now.
Linda C

It's been many, many years since we have seen more than a few honeybees during the full season. Last year, the count was two. That's right, just two lonely bees for the whole year. Big and small bumblies have moved in, and there are misty clouds of very tiny (1/8") iridescent bees who happily visit the vegs and flowers, but no honeybees. I ensure veg pollination with a tiny artist's brush.

It's been quiet news for several years that Virginia is gradually losing the honeybee. Statewide, a normal winter's loss is 15 to 20%; I read last week that a preliminary estimate is over 30% loss this year, probably due to CCD. On another front, local friend who had hives gave them up several years ago, due to not-neighbors who complained. (Not-neighbors did not live within a mile of the apiarist, but managed to get fear-mongering letters printed in the local newspaper as well as saturating the area with posters and flyers. I don't understand people who behave like that.)

Daffodils are just about finished for the year. The first ones opened early March, and Doubloon -determined to endure- is finally conceding to the heat. Tulips don't do well in this area, the soil is too clayey. Folks that have them, have been enjoying them for a couple weeks. Lilacs are in bloom, and several people have wisteria which is gracefully grabbing passerby's attention. Most trees are in youthful green, and the oaks are painting everything with their yellow pollen. Smart folks don't open windows during this time -- just a few minutes of 'fresh' air is enough to cover your furniture with the pollen. For these few weeks, everyone drives a pollen-colored car, lol.

We have honey bees, bumbles,those #**%^# carpenters,and the usual few masons on the crab apple tree. Usually they really dont get going for another month though. No sweats yet but I always really enjoy them,especially when I'm crawling around in the dirt and can get nose to nose with them.

I'm very tolerant of bees and wasps, except for the yellow jackets. One of the few creatures meaner than I am, and with even less patience.

aren't they awful? You never know where those nasties' nests are going to be hiding out. They can be underground,or if they are the aerials,under shrubs or plants or even hanging from trees. I like bees too Meldy,and as weird as it sounds,did you ever try gently stroking one of them when they were drunk on nectar? They are so soft.

It's warm here, daytime 70 to 80 deg. It is the same problem which Meldy has and partly due to the fear of people that they might get stung. I have never been stung by anything and have been around every stinging beasty from bees to hornets.
A lone carpenter bee circles endlessly the house and the driveway.

Marda ~ yes, honeybees and the big bumblies both. Unfortunately, I've never petted a butterfly... actually, I've never even thought about petting butterflies or moths, in spite of reading Gene Stratton Porter. Too busy watching them.

Research is ongoing about a possible phenomenon where honey bees, feeding on the nectar of plants treated with what is now one of the most common and widespread pesticides on earth.....are afflicted with a syndrome where they become disoriented. Of course that is a major catastrophe to a social insect who must find their way over great distances to a hive to feed what is to become future generations.

My step-daughter lost all her hives to the cruds so common in bee-keeping in this age. I've been stung plenty, but mostly through my own carelessness and the nature of my work. But, I still enjoy and am fascinated by bees and wasps and do the best I can not to interfere with what they need to do to survive. Yes, I have stroked the back of a bee. It's velvet, how can you not?

On our property, usually when the weather turns cold and leaf-fall occurs we find the wondrous domed nest of a hornet population. Their reputation is frightening, but I have worked directly under their home and around them with never a sting by respecting their routine and watching where I put my hands/body when tending the flora. That's a pretty big claim for somebody who has to carry an epinephrine syringe for sting allergies.

Just to check things out, I went about 10 miles into the country to a wildlife protection park. The dogwoods and redbuds were in full bloom, wild anemones and a whole hillside golden yellow with dandelions and no bees. I stayed for approximately an hour, listened to the birds, watched the ducks on the pond (no ducklings yet) and enjoyed the view.
I always have dandelions in the yard, because they usually have plenty of bees visiting them for first food in the spring. This year nothing.

The yellow jackets seprate the locals from the newbies at summer time functions that involve food. The locals shred some of their meat and place it in the middle of the table for the yellow jackets to pick up. The newbies wave their hands over their plates and yell.

Equally disturbing is the death of the bats. They have come out of hibernation in winter because they are starving. The bat caves wre full of them, dead with white rings of fungus on their faces. This is an potentially as bad as the bees.