After such a harsh winter , we lost 5 hives to wood pecker damage...Now it is spring, and what a difference a month makes. April has been dry and warm - albeit a little windy here in East Kent! The 2 hives that were struggling we have combined to make one stronger colony, the other 2 are strong and honey flow is on..this means the bees are working very hard bringing in nectar from rape seed, orchard blossoms and the abundance of floral nectar that seems to all have coem at the same time. Last year I can remeber taking off honey that was sweet chestnuy, dark, thick and very scented. This year I expect we will have a harder tiem trying to identify the source of nectar.
I saw a hornet today, buzzing around the bee shed (where I keep all my equipment). There are not good new for bees - and can destroy whole colonies...so I must keep a look out for them in the orchard.
We are going to be at the Canterbury Climate fair 15 & 16 May, come along there are going to be lots of green stalls, community workshops and information...I'm next to the British Bee-keepers stall - Lime Tree Trading - hope to see you there...we might even have some honey by then too!
