Did the queen make it or not?

[deanrpwaacs]

This was one of my hives yesterday . Who knows if the queen is well . I will find out once its warm enough to do the first inspection . A good few weeks away yet i would say . https://youtu.be/BTlDkOPPKOs

 

[Fatbee]

They do my head in screaming the place down all day.. lol

That's what I love about them - sign of summer. Although they can be feisty - we used to have a breeding pair nest in our porch and would regularly get dive bombed. Couldn't blame them because was old stables they used to live in until we converted them. Then one year they never returned. Very sad

 

[BeeJayBee]

Would a colony whose queen has died through the winter be foraging pollen? Does a colony with a queen who is later to start laying be bringing in pollen in quantity?

As JBM says, yes to both.

Bees are seemingly optimistic little creatures and won't give up if the colony loses the queen, they'll continue to collect pollen, nectar, propolis and water until they die.

If there's a lot of pollen about they will bring it back to the hive and store it, so it can be used during a pollen dearth.