Hi you will remember in my last tales I had talked about our year and that autumn is upon us. Well it certainly is!. The weather  forecast is that we can expect out first frost tonight. So I hope the girls are all tucked up in the top of their hives in nice tight swarm.

My visit today was simply to check that all was well as there is very little for me to do now . They have their stores for the coming winter. Although I will top them up with some fondant just after Christmas as this is the danger period when they may run out of stores and run the risk of starvation before the first spring flowers pop their heads out next year.

There are still a couple of jobs to do. One is to protect from woodpeckers. When the going gets hard these can go though the sides of a hive in seconds to get at the honey inside.

The bees may well drive them off but the loss in  temperature and the destruction could cause the loss of the swarm if I do not see it soon afterwards.

So I put a wire cage around to prevent this. And just as I arrived what should I hear but the cry of a woodpecker. It made up my mind to do it straight away!

But it was 13 degrees and sunny when I visited and so quite a few of the ladies were out about about having a fly around and even some coming back with pollen.

There are   mouse guards for a little later in the year to stop the blighter,s getting in. and I will drop them in place about the same time I put some insulation on about November time.

I hope you are all well and I will write again soon.