This spring is different from the last years. Seems that spring is coming earlier an earlier. We had a warm early period. This year everting started 2 weeks earlier. Beekeepers were of course concerned. Will the bees become ready? And yes, colonies looked very nice and winter losses seems to be low. The rape fields are ready now. Dandelion all over. And then we got frost during night time. Not good for the apples! Cold wind from the east. Bees stopped flying! But as always, there are some moments every day, where the bees do fly and collect pollen.
Yesterday, was not a good day, but the bees did not accept! Some other colonies in the INSIGNIA apiary do have pollen traps. Yesterday on the 8th of May one colony did harvest 221 gram of pollen and another colony only 36 grams. All more or less yellow rape pollen. On the day before, the picture, still the same, but different. On this more cold and windy day the colonies went for orange, the pollen of dandelion. On this day the bees went for the short touring, the Dandelion just beside the apiary, opposite the rape field more than 500 meters away. So, bees do collect in-between during the cold days and they change collection strategy. Very exciting insect.
Flemming Vejsnæs
