There have been hopeful first sightings of spring that have slowly begun to break through the slumberous remnants of winter, which continues to grasp desperately at the cold and darkness as the days grow warmer and longer. A contrasting world, which we thought we had lost and mourned months ago. Sleepy new buds and shoots have started to erupt through the old ground, the ancient imprint of plants have begun transforming from old to new, a cycle of nature which never fails to surprise us. The endless cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. Though we have observed optimistic changes in the world around us, from the flora and fauna steadily stirring from hibernation. To the changes in weather patterns that have gradually warmed the air circulating our hive. We must remain vigilant and not let our guard slip too soon as it could be a fatal mistake if not judged correctly.
Photo by Liz Brown from Bonnymuir Green Community Trust
Not that long ago, near the end of January, we were informed by a journeying messenger from a nearby colony that somewhere on the North-West of Scotland had experienced the hottest day ever recollected in the history of our collective memory as a species. They say temperatures reached a staggering 19.6 celsius on the 28th of January. An unnatural phenomenon, so dislodged from our reality, the separation of time, seasons and temperatures associated with the annual cycle fractured. A week later, the landscape had changed dramatically, everywhere was faced with bouts of snow, sleet and plenty of frost in between, chilling winds joined the snow making it near impossible to function. We found ourselves in a state of panic and uncertainty, we thought the beginning of spring was upon us, but instead found ourselves huddling together once again to retain heat and protect our queen from the treacherous elements.
Image by xiserge from Pixabay
The winds have settled and the frost has thawed, leaving behind a mulched brown layer, sprinkled with patches of tender, green foliage in between. The unusual warm spell has left us unbalanced, in a hazy bewilderment along with many other species alike. Normally, when we feel the changes in seasons taking place, transforming into warmer, longer days, that is our signal. There is no time like the present to begin the arduous task of reshaping the colony that we have known over the winter months and begin the transformation of expanding our colony’s numbers as our winter sisters will soon be leaving us after their prolonged life cycle. Our winter stores have become exceedingly low, only the remnants of pollen and honey are left, the possibility of colony starvation is creeping dangerously close. February’s focus is on foraging. Snowdrops and the first crocuses have begun to bloom, these flowers contain no nectar but will offer some early pollen to tide us over until the official blossoming season commences. With our young Queen starting to prepare for the year ahead, she is preoccupied with the responsibility of producing brood, which consists of eggs, larvae and pupae. This stage of regenerating our colony requires our Queen to consume the remaining proteins and fats available to her. This will replace the fat preserves that she has used up or lost during the winter period, helping to manage the exhaustive and consuming process of laying thousands of eggs which will generate our future workers and drones of the colony.
The Far Orchard 