Lots of pollen

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Saw bees on Lonicera Fragrantissima ( Winter Flowering Honeysuckle ) yesterday particularly when sun was out. Mid- Staffordshire. A question for those with more experience of beekeeping- How unusual is this?
If you mean is it normal for bees to be out foraging in Winter if conditions allow. Yes perfectly normal, bees are opportunistic and take advantage of forage available. The frequency and what’s available is obviously affected by the current mild climate.
 
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Thank you. Just thought I’d was more evidence of global warming if we needed it. As a Newbee just happy to see so much activity from the girls on the hives. 🤞
Just keep an eye on stores, the bees are pretty competent at dealing with anything else. Including dealing with changeable temps if they have food available!
 
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Exactly. There is pollen about now, but no nectar. More activity=more energy used= stores used up quicker, especially since brood laying will be ramping up. Heft regularly from now on
 
Noted. Thank you. I found the article in the latest BBKA News that shows when the danger time may occur the spring useful as a newbee
No ignore it!! some magazine printed months ago will have little idea as to current weather conditions. Carry out a spring inspection when weather allows, I really wouldn’t sit back and think oh it’s to early. Heft your hives regularly through the winter, it really will give an idea of decreasing weights and what’s going on.
 
Although most of my colonies are pretty much clustered the two larger ones which presumably can spare some bees from the cluster have been actively foraging over the Xmas period on any day where the weather has been dry and above just 8 degC here in Norfolk. They are bringing in small quantities of a dirty orange pollen and currently the colony weights are just about holding steady at present.20230105_154303.jpg
 
Thank you. Fortunately our hives are situated at home and I do pop to check on them regularly. External visual / hefting only for the time being. Great support from my local association which is very useful as a newbee.
local advice is generally far better than trying to follow a generic timetable that covers the whole country and is fixed year in year out. Bees don't care what month it is ;) Activities need to be scheduled around the state of the colony. Spring build up is not fixed and the fabled T-shirt weather inspection threshold can vary by a month, six weeks or even two months plus from it being achieved year to year in the sunny south. With a warm build up, I've been in at the begin of March; with the wet cold spring a few years ago, it was towards the back end of April.
Good luck!
 
Although most of my colonies are pretty much clustered the two larger ones which presumably can spare some bees from the cluster have been actively foraging over the Xmas period on any day where the weather has been dry and above just 8 degC here in Norfolk. They are bringing in small quantities of a dirty orange pollen and currently the colony weights are just about holding steady at present.View attachment 34875
Are you near any parks or domestic gardens ? Lots of wallflowers in blossom where I am and their pollen is a dirty yellow colour. It's a bit early for anything else that colour.
 
This where a microscope and a pollen library come in useful. I discussed this at length with Margaret Ann Adams and never got round to it but I feel I should in her memory
 

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