Winter 2022/3

Winter at Coursegoules is quiet and there are less hives. having tested and treated for Varroa mite I took 3 Hives to Chateauneuf and 2 to my garden.

Coursegoules in Winter

After the winter solstice the bees start to get active. This year Spring appears to be a few weeks early. This is measured by the mimosa trees blossoming with their bright yellow flowers. This starts the new Bee year. However danger is ahead as the expanding colonies are vulnerable to a cold snap. with out enough honey to feed them and with more than double the number of bees the beekeeper has to feed them.

The above photo was taken on 4 February and shows a lot of foragers and pollen being taken in. The beekeeper looked into the hive the day before and noticed bees occupying 6/7 frames (back in December it was 2/3 frames.

Bees very active in early February