Apologies for the absence of recent blogs, my time was rather taken up with tending hives and feeding.......the bees I mean.

HBAH starts another exciting new year, with clients from previous years all having varying states of progress within their hives. Summarising the weather last year in terms of keeping bees would be an interesting exercise. We have hives spread across many parts of the country and the weather varied greatly throughout the regions. The years weather was characterised by a very late spring, a wet summer (other than a hot burst during Wimbledon fortnight ) and good temperatures during the period that used to be known as an Indian summer. Autumn was relatively short and dry. Winter arrived with a rapid snap and December was the coldest since records began. 

The effect this weather has had on the hives will be revealed once the temperature has increased and the hives have become more active. Getting beekeepers to all agree on whether it was a good or bad year for honey production is like asking a politician for an honest answer ! 

It is an exciting time for beekeepers. We all await the long overdue rise in temperature, so we can see how the colonies have done through the winter. Early spring cleaning and a chance to start setting up for what lies ahead. We wish everyone a happy and successful 2011. 

New and young hives need good numbers to survive and progress through winter. The cold temperatures do not create problems for the colony of bees per say, so long as there are enough bees to form the central heating cluster in the hive. They need food to generate heat and the heat is what keeps them alive even during very cold spells.