How's Your Winter going?

[Wingy]

3 hives all showing good signs with bees flying. 1 much more so than the others this is my crazy hive that had bees out and about last week at 4*C.
Snow drops been out for about a week, catkins seem to have been out for weeks crocus a few in flower lots just showing through blackthorn about to burst open anytime. Spring is in the air, so probably back to -6*C next week and snow in March lol

 

[Curly green fingers]

Blue and great **** calling and investigating nest boxes for the past week. Flowering cherry in bloom and first blackthorn seen in flower today, very patchy still but first signs of spring in the balmy (er) SW.
S

I watched four drakes today chasing after a duck/hen on the river it was funny watching her swimming up and down the river trying to get away.
" I don't think she's ready for mating yet boys".

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I watched four drakes today chasing after a duck/hen on the river it was funny watching her swimming up and down the river trying to get away.
" I don't think she's ready for mating yet boys".

Because of the gender imbalance in the wild duck population (lot more drakes than ducks. quite a few ducks die from drowning after being piled by drakes.

Did you know that 'Mallard' is not actually (or originally) the name of the species - it's just wild duck - mallard actually describes the male of the species - from the old French for 'male duck'
In fact, in Welsh, any male duck is called a Milart still

 

[Millet]

Because of the gender imbalance in the wild duck population (lot more drakes than ducks. quite a few ducks die from drowning after being piled by drakes.

Did you know that 'Mallard' is not actually (or originally) the name of the species - it's just wild duck - mallard actually describes the male of the species - from the old French for 'male duck'
In fact, in Welsh, any male duck is called a Milart still[/QUOTE]

Is that why i have to keep Ducking and diving ..

 

[Repwoc]

Did you know that 'Mallard' is not actually (or originally) the name of the species - it's just wild duck - mallard actually describes the male of the species - from the old French for 'male duck'
In fact, in Welsh, any male duck is called a Milart still

So 'female mallard' is an oxymoron?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

So 'female mallard' is an oxymoron?

yep

Male - wild mallard
Female - wild duck

 

[Curly green fingers]

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oxymoron

I don't know why but the definition above.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

A few modern examples of oxymorons

Police Intelligence
Queen's honours list
James Cleverley MP

 

[Curly green fingers]

A few modern examples of oxymorons

Police Intelligence
Queen's honours list
James Cleverley MP

I've worked for plenty over the years .

 

[Millet]

It has been a tad nippy on the Northumberland coast for the past few weeks and none have the hives have been seen flying..i will have a sneaky look at the fondant on three of them at the weekend to make sure they have enough..the garden Nuc also has not been flying for a good while..i checked the fondant yesterday and it has not been touched and i am a tad concerned at how few bees are in there compared to when they went into winter..it went into winter bursting with bees and now the cluster is 3/4 of the size.

 

[mbc]

It has been a tad nippy on the Northumberland coast for the past few weeks and none have the hives have been seen flying..i will have a sneaky look at the fondant on three of them at the weekend to make sure they have enough..the garden Nuc also has not been flying for a good while..i checked the fondant yesterday and it has not been touched and i am a tad concerned at how few bees are in there compared to when they went into winter..it went into winter bursting with bees and now the cluster is 3/4 of the size.

I've got some clusters at about the size of a grapefruit, I'm hoping they'll look better spread out when the weather warms.

 

[Millet]

I've got some clusters at about the size of a grapefruit, I'm hoping they'll look better spread out when the weather warms.

That is exactly what this Nuc is like (grapefruit size)..i suppose it is just a waiting game now..luckily they are in a poly nuc..

 

[deemann1]

Checked hives yesterday there all flying ,I added fondant to them all as insurance.. one nuc has gone trough 5kg of fondant so far , most hives have lots of brood already!

 

[Murox]

Checked hives yesterday there all flying ,I added fondant to them all as insurance.. one nuc has gone trough 5kg of fondant so far , most hives have lots of brood already!

Are you using wooden or polystyrene Nucs ? and your hives ? and would you share your apiary 's approximate height above sea level. Mine is around 150meters on the wet windy west coast of scotland.

 

[deemann1]

Are you using wooden or polystyrene Nucs ? and your hives ? and would you share your apiary 's approximate height above sea level. Mine is around 150meters on the wet windy west coast of scotland.

I'm using wooden hives, nucs are a mix of poly and wood
The nuc I'm feeding lots of fondant is wood .
Height 158m

 

[Murox]

I'm using wooden hives, nucs are a mix of poly and wood
The nuc I'm feeding lots of fondant is wood .
Height 158m

Thank you for that, you are more southerly than I am - just trying to assess how things are right now. I use insulated wood but have seen little activity as yet. Set up a camera trap today as its not at home. They have stores still and some fondant as a buffer.

 

[Millet]

yep

Male - wild mallard
Female - wild duck

What about Teal/Wigeon/Pintail/Pochard/Eider the list goes on..

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

We are talking about the common wild duck (now known as the mallard) even a simpleton could have worked that out.

 

[Millet]

We are talking about the common wild duck (now known as the mallard) even a simpleton could have worked that out.

Well you could not work it out, many ducks are common ducks so that makes you a simpleton ..

 

[Podilia]

Hi, everyone.
Lazy and beautiful winter is over here. The tempreture varies -5/+5, and dirty remnants of snow decorate the landscape. My bees have not flown yet but in some southern and western regions they can fly and find first pollen.
We don't use Latin names of months so this month (February) is called "fierse" but in fact it is much milder now than "freezing-your-breast" (December) and "cutting-(with-frost)" (January). These names are very old and don't describe modern climate norms.
I added combs with honey in some hives just upon clusters. Colonies don't have any brood.
Last year the first flight was in March 10.