Since my last blog my stings are distant memories! And I have visited my bees several times.(with a suit on!).

Sadly the “Mary”swarm that you will remember had had either dysentery or Nosema has perished and there where no bees alive, a sad end to the winter.

But with the weather warming our the surviving two hives are on the move. On my last but one visit we decided to take off the first of two frames of sealed honey. This is almost certainly from our adjacent“Rape” field and this honey sets hard and fast and unless one acts quick it cannot be removed from the frame.

This we did and have our first jar and bit of pretty viscus but sweet honey.

Both “Victoria” and our other survivor “ Queen Mary” are laying well and both have frames of sealed brood so the swarms should ( if they have read the book) rapidly expand over the next couple of weeks.

As usual I could not find my Queens, but I with sealed brood and grubs I know that must be there, they are just fleet of foot and elusive ladies!

I am still feeding them as this is traditionally the time when bees may starve as apart from the spring rape the spring flowers are not out yet in profusion and the last of the swarms stored honey has or is on the point of running out.

But all in all the early signs are that in the two survivors things are going well.

The next things I have to worry about is that have enough room for them to expand and signs that they may soon swarm. I hope that when this happens I can spot it and beat them to it with an artificial swarm and create another swarm for my apiary. ( or even two!).

I will write again soon.