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We called in to see my parents this afternoon.
My father is a beekeeper and most of his 13 colonies were flying strongly and bringing in pollen of various hues. I helped him do his Apiguard treatments in the Autumn and I thought a lot of his colonies were weak at that point. We checked the Varroa trays today and there was no sign of any mites. He keeps his trays in over winter and I don't but we try and not fall out over it!
He has good natured black bees and he has kept bees continuously ...

What a marvellous bright sunny day we had here. Rolling up at the old orchard around 1 pm, the mud in the lane behind the walled garden was still sufficiently frozen solid to take my considerable weight, but the sun was on the hives and the bees were out in numbers. Three of the survivors were bringing in lots of pollen, and one - the Monkish bee colony - didn't seem to be. Might it be queenless? Too early to tell. It may also be well out of its comfort zone, climate-wise.

So, ...

Time to see where the bees live. They have a wonderful setting in an old orchard, with cherries, plums and gages, pears and apples to keep them happy from March to May.

The series of photos shows the row of hives (with the end ones strapped in preparation for the summer visit of the sheep who take some time to learn that these scratching posts have defensive occupants), the view out to the old trees, and the view they get on their way back in after stopping off at the clover in the ...

This morning I put Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture on the car CD player and set off for the Ross of Mull to give a talk on bees. The Scottish Symphony followed, then the Italian, all matching perfectly the passing views. As I drove through the mountains, there was just enough snow to be picturesque without causing any problems on the road. Without wishing to sound like a travel guide, the scenery was beyond glorious; it was stunning!

The CD came to an end. The player paused for ...

Nice week so far, the bees have been busy collecting pollen and water (see picture).
It is about to get colder and more snow is forecast. Hope it does not catch the bees on the wrong foot.
Mind you they have been doing this for a couple of million years, so they are a little way ahead of me.
We are still a long way off from the spring though (the second photo).

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