Bees at the Entrance.

Despite the time of year, the rain and the strong winds, the bees in the garden are still flying vigorously.
Their target at the moment is the ivy around our kitchen, some 20 yards away, which is providing both pollen for brood raising and nectar to top up their winter stores. The dead bee on the landing board is a drone; they’re generally thrown out at the end of August but some of my colonies seem to think that they are still useful. The debris is small clumps of pollen that doesn’t make it into the hive.
There was also a bit of un-seasonal attention from wasps who should be dead by now but were trying to steal honey (and possibly larvae). I managed to nail one with a fly-swat, but two more were dealt with by bees; it’s quite impressive seeing a bee take out a wasp. The restricted entrance is intended to make it more difficult for the buggers to sneak past the guards.