Wednesday 14 March 2012

The bees are buzzing

We are experiencing another mild, dry end to winter and start to spring. Indeed, the whole of our winter has been mild. Early blossom covers some trees and green shoots of growth are bursting through the ground. So, having just been to the allotment, I spotted that my bees are very active at the moment. All 3 hives are busy. The bees are bringing in lots of pollen. That's good news as pollen is used to feed brood. That means the queen in each hive has survived the winter and is laying. I can't wait to get our first honey!

Alas, the story is not so good up in Bill Quay Community Farm in Gateshead where I am one of the volunteer beekeepers. We paid a visit on Saturday. Two of the hives were doing very well. Unfortunately the third was dead. We opened up the hive and there was a cluster of dead bees. To some extent, we weren't surprised. The hive had been a weak one. It's still disappointing however.

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