To Think of the New Year

Today was fine and relatively mild. It was warm enough for the bees to get out a bit and fly around.

I am sometimes asked about the plants that the bees visit at this time of year. There are very few just yet, apart from snowdrops.

So the brown patch by the front of each hive are the bees loitering. The main reason for bees to fly at this time of year is so that they can get out and have a breath of fresh air and go to the loo.

The only way you would know this is if you were unwise enough to park a white car in the flight path!

This is just the time of year the the Queen in each hive starts to lay eggs again. She is now laying the brood. Initially this is a small patch the size of a golf ball but it will quickly expand.

From now on I have to keep an eye on the level of food held in reserve in the hive, because the consumption of it will begin to rapidly increase.