Must get on

Well, this is early. Only the second time in 12 years we have been inside a beehive before the first week of March is out. We found a lot of bees. This point in the year is the date on which beekeepers expect the number of bees in a hive to be at their absolute lowest (unless something goes badly wrong). The queen has started laying again, after she (probably/possibly) took a break in November or December, but not yet fast enough to compensate for the die off of all the ageing bees that have seen the colony through since early winter. It's a little daunting to think where we might go from here

Bees, of course, have their own perspective on life and death. The individual worker will live for no longer than 6 months, if autumn-born, or 6 weeks if summer-born. A lucky queen may live for three or four seasons. But the colony itself is, in principle, immortal - the lives of individuals are subservient to the needs of the 'everlasting' colony. This principle extends to the colony's defence. An individual that attacks another bee, or any other species, to protect the colony, will almost inevitably lay down her own life in doing so. Wouldn't it be interesting if we could fix it to be that way for people

In the excitement of the first visit, I forgot to pass on the news of our neighbour's death. I climbed back over the apiary gate and returned to the front of the hive to tell them. They will know her garden, and she took an interest in their doings and welcomed their honey. The proprieties were completed

The stunning photographs recently linked by blipper ceridwen include one that has a perfect elipse of bees forming an adoring retinue around a queen. The photographer admits he had to wait a very long time for that peerless shot. I have never seen anything like it in those 12 years and more. Much more common is this: the queen striding rapidly across the comb (her legs are much longer than other bees) and the workers doing their best to leave her space to go where she wishes. As she was today. Spring is here; so much to do; so little time