Bee Lore

I visited my only hive today – Faith.  The orchard where I keep it has Barnaby Sheep in it.  They have eaten too much of the bark from many of the apple trees – so those trees will probably die in the Spring.  But the bees were fine.  I hefted the hive and it was heavy still with bees and honey.  I took off the top-cover.  What joy.  I really miss working the bees in the winter months.   I saw a few bees flying (doing their winter cleansing flights).  Bees are very clean and go out of the hive to get rid of their droppings.  I saw some damage to the entrance to the hive – looked like woodpecker – but it did not warrant stirring the bees up to change the entrance block.  Oh – and I found one of my old entrance blocks lying on the ground from when I took taway he empty hives of Hope and Charity…….  I am going to try to buy two new colonies in the Spring – if anyone reading this has a good source of nucs, please post me a comment!