Different

I'm setting off on a little trip tomorrow. I'll not say too much, as I hope it will unfold on blip. This is me, myself, I, without MrsM - something of a rarity in our lives to be apart for a week or more - although modern communications have changed what 'apart' really means. In my youth, I lived in central Africa for two years - not in a city but up country, without a telephone connection. Communication was by the post and a question sent to UK by letter might expect a reply two weeks later at the earliest. When you are young, that sort of thing does not alarm you

MrsM will be a single parent for our single colony while I'm away. Usually during inspections, she is the sharpest eyes and ears, and the one who remembers details, but I do most of the handling of the bees. She wanted a dry run of a solo inspection while I was still here. No problem except for the 'dry' part, so we had to improvise. How best to deploy an umbrella is not something that is often covered in beekeeping books. The colony seemed grateful and did not sting either of us

The frame in the picture it pretty well filled with nicely capped brood; I think there are less unused cells in the brood area than I observed last time. We saw no sign that the colony have it in mind to swarm. We are in a calm period before the main summer flowers have really come on stream, but the bees are obviously finding something to forage, as they have an ample stock of honey. So no cause for alarm and they wished me safe travel