Latest Sunflower / Bee News

WARNING : this post contains yet more pictures of bees on sunflowers.

However, in an effort to mix it up a bit, I have tried playing around with some of the sunflower pictures, trying out various photoshop effects. Here is one of the sunflower field in front of our village church…

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LittleWorld image : Sunflowers in Garac

With the sunflowers in full throttle, Hive B has been extended by adding a super.

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Andy just about to add a super to Hive B

We aren’t terribly optimistic that those additional frames will be full to busting come the end of the sunflower season. The bees haven’t been in residence that long, and with the rotten weather in May and June, they are still establishing themselves in the brood box.

We do however have higher expectations for Hive A.

hivea_super_honey

Honey building up in Hive A

I am now noticing alot of mobile hives in the fields around and about, and cannot decide if this is a new phenomenon or whether its now something that I can easily spot. Just wondering about the levels of competition for the pollen / nectar.

And finally, the obligatory bees-on-sunflowers shots…

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Snowed in

well and truly snowed in

Si-bee-ria

What a difference a day makes. Yesterday, I was out planting primulas, admiring the cheery daffodils and noticing the first cuckoo. The bees were working at full speed, in and out all day long, their baskets full of pollen. There were even a couple of butterflies, and the fruit trees were all either in full blossom or about to burst forth.

And this morning, I wake up to a blanket of snow, up to 6 inches deep. Its all quite photogenic, and isnt too cold, so I am guessing that it will all have melted away by tomorrow. I wonder what impact it will have on the fruit blossom?

a hive of activity ~ 2 days ago

a hive of activity ~ 2 days ago

blooming chilly

blooming chilly