At long last, winter seems to be coming to an end.
Snowdrops are still in evidence, crocuses are flowering, hazel and willow are also providing lots of fresh pollen so hopefully there will be a few extra minutes of foraging time each day for the bees.
Other insects are also appearing: queen bumblebees are starting to look for good nest sites.
It’s time to check beekeeping kit to make sure it’s all clean and ready for the season. Scrape, scrub and scorch those last bits that you never got round to cleaning at the end of last year (nobody’s perfect). CLICK HERE for the NBU advice of cleaning equipment.
It’s also time to put traps out to attract any Yellow-Legged Asian Hornet queens that may have hibernated in our area. CLICK HERE to go to the National Bee Unit’s information page about this insect. CLICK HERE to access the NBU Rolling Update.
Traps should be placed where you can check for and release by-catch daily. Association members may EMAIL GILLIAN if they wish to buy a GardApis trap; we have a small stock.