Nov 07 2009
Winter beekeeping
With the struggling state of our beehives, due to disease, varroa and some unexplained disorders, it is comforting to walk out of my back door and to see that my hives are now settling down for the winter break.
Over the past few days, with the unusually warm weather for November across the UK, my bees have been flying and collecting pollen. Many plants that would normally have died are still showing good numbers of flowers, allowing the bees to collect more for their winter stores. Although we are now at the 6th November, I noticed ivy, fuschias, geraniums, dandelions and daisies in flower today as I walked my son to school. The seasons are certainly changing and so are the habbits of our bees.
Colder weather is due at the end of the week, so I expect the flowers to cease and for my bees to form their natural cluster in the hive shortly.
No doubt, it will only be a hop, skip and a jump until, with Christmas over we see new life begin again. I can’t wait for the snowdrops and crocuses to pop through the hardened ground and the bee hives to begin their year’s work once more.
