Let it snow!

Well, the weather forecast yesterday said it would be "very cold with the possibility of snow showers" and it was right! Overnight the temperature fell with a resounding clang and we awoke to a 'winter wonderland'; in other words, a lot of the cold wet white stuff. Kevin reckoned it was only "a light dusting" but that was before he ventured outside and realised it was laying fairly thickly. Even though the common belief is that you can leave the bees alone during the winter months, I still worry about them, and so out I rushed (if you can rush in wellies) to check on them. It's important to clear any snow away from the entrances - sometimes it's so bright and white that the bees mistake it for sunshine and, even though it's chilly, they still try to fly out, but they don't get very far.

As you can see from the picture, the melted circle of snow and ice on the hive roof reassured me that the bees are clustering and keeping warm. We've helped them a bit by putting a thick layer of foam under the roof, but the bees are now snuggled up together within reach of the food. They act similarly to penguins, huddling together and taking turns to be on the warm inside or cooler outside of the group. They do this within touching distance of their stores (plus the candy that we placed above the feeder holes) so, unlike penguins, they don't have to go too far for a meal.

Pretty as it is, I'm not a big fan of snow, so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that Spring comes soon and the only concerns I'll have then will be swarm management!