Ivy....Last Hope?

Stuck in a queue of traffic coming home from work tonight, I noticed some Ivy draped over a wall, laden with buds - A last chance for the bees to stock up from natural sources. Lets hope it yields well to help the "girlies" through winter.

Winter and the Helpless Feeling

I am well under way to wintering the bees and this time of year fills me with trepidation and sadness. A real sense of  "you are on your own" now ladies, nothing more I know to do. All down to nature!? Well that makes me more worried as the "summer" was so awful having to feed the bees and queens not getting mated: and of the queens that did mate, how well did they mate?- Will hives come out of winter with no brood or drone brood? If there is a hope then it is that some colonies did seem to thrive despite the bad weather and this could be related to my recent investigations. Only time will tell.

Sedum

As I pulled onto the drive at home tonight I was drawn to the Sedum planted in the front border, alive with my bees busy working the flowers as the little buds opened.