The Joys of the New Year

After the winter Solstice, which was on 21 December in 2025, the bees suddenly get active again. The only difference is the lengthening of the days, as the weather has not yet changed, certainly not for the better. Because they are active they seem to be more hungry. So the Beek has to make sure they have enough food as there is nothing to forage. Frequent inspections are necessary to ensure they never run out and die. There is a big difference between the hives in the mountains and those in my garden. It is so much warmer where we live. In the last few days we enjoyed an exceptionally high temperature of 17 degrees. The bees, in the garden, are very active, flying like mad and bringing in a lot of pollen. Where do they get it from is a mystery to me.

The next step is to treat them against the Varroa mite and as the colonies expand the queen will lay some drone eggs. Then will come the time to create some new colonies.

Winter colours that will soon go green!