First picture: Honey bee that has collected Himalayan balsam pollen and nectar. Second picture: The Queen. Third picture : Collecting a swarm
A frame of honey ready for extracting.
Wasps were a serious problem during the winter 2015/16. The mild autumn and winter did not kill the wasps off and were robbing the hives of valuable stores and brood to such an extent that the bee colonies collapsed and I am very much starting all over again.Swarms were very few and far between in 2016 but I was lucky to be called out to collect a swarm, they were fed at first to help get the colony to make comb and then left alone until late summer. During this time they produce a nice bit of honey but I did not harvest any and left it all for the bees, also during the late summer they had varroa mite treatment and sugar syrup to help bolster the bees winter stores, this was carried on until the autumn. With several very hard frosts during the late autumn and into the winter meant that wasps were not a threat.Pruning my apples in early january one mildish morning I was pleased to see a few bees in and out of the hive on what is known as "cleansing flights"and the very next day which also was mild, gave them some sugar syrup and I was now looking eagerly forward to the first warm day in the spring to open up the hive to have a look and see how they are doing. The 20th of February I see snowdrop pollen being taken in to the hive and on the 24th saw the bees bringing in crocus pollen.The 9th of march was a lovely fine day and I opened up the hive for the first inspection and was pleased to see that the Queen has been laying eggs , A quick tidy up of the hive with some frames being replaced and a swap over of a new hive floor , I then closed up the hive again, watching the bees for a few minutes as well as crocus and snowdrop pollen, they are now bringing in pussy willow pollen.
Fingers crossed that all will be well with this colony,and am now preparing another hive with the hope of collecting another swarm sometime in April /May.