Spring into action!

Today was very bright and sunny, and although it was quite a bit colder than earlier in the week, I went down to the beehives  in the hope of seeing some more bees bringing in pollen. However the bees were staying in the hives today - it was just not warm enough for them to be out and about.

Ever since I saw the bees bringing in pollen earlier in the week I've been wondering what they could be foraging on. When I was out today I saw a few Primroses in flower, as well as Crocuses (see photo), Daffodils, Daises and Dandelions, and the very last of the Snowdrops.

There are quite a few Goat Willow bushes growing around where I have my hives and I was pleased to see that the buds on them were just starting to open (see photo).

Willow is an important forage plant for the bees in the early spring and provides a good source of pollen which the bees need for the spring build up. I only hope that the weather in the coming weeks is mild and fair so that the bees can get off to a good start to the year.