What a stormy month February has been! Fingers crossed we are over the worst of the bad weather now because those high winds were really quite disruptive. The hives were all strapped down to prevent them from blowing apart and luckily, we had no mishaps which we are thankful for.

This month has also been a time of preparation. Frames are being made to replace old ones, plans are being drafted up on how to look after the bees this year, pollen patties have been sourced and put to one side for applying on a decent day and the cabin has been tidied up ready for the busy months ahead.

We are starting to see more and more flowers coming out for the bees to forage on, including this willow tree. We have lots of trees here at Thornes so it is nice to see some early flowering that the bees can take advantage on early in the season.

March is hopefully when things start to pick up a little bit, with warmer weather (maybe!) and the brood nest starting to expand. We will have to keep checking on food stores as any colonies that expand rapidly this early on, can succumb to starvation if not kept topped up with food. If the weather is warm enough, we might even be able to take a peek inside to see how the bees have overwintered and then assess where we start the season from.