Author Topic: flying today ? (Read 3596 times)

cloddopper · « **on:** November 09, 2017, 12:37:14 pm »

It's 15oC here in south wales the sun is shining . I was surprised to see bees & bumble bees flying . As I walked down the garden to the big oak I noriced that the hazel nuts are covered in inch long light green catkins ... they weren't there three days ago . The fig tree by our doctors surgery is also covered in flowers

Has anyone else noticed new growth etc, on anything besides the weeds ?

Fleecewife · « **Reply #1 on:** November 09, 2017, 04:22:45 pm »

It's sunny here but cold with a wind like a sword - cuts right through you. Scottish bees are very sensibly hibernating and have been for a while. Plants are being sensible too - still some late summer flowers hanging on, but anything tender is black and shriveled from the frosts we've had. It will be a few months yet before we see catkins, and many more before we can make some Vit D

Bionic · « **Reply #2 on:** November 10, 2017, 04:28:31 pm »

Wild strawberries in the hedgerow are flowering here

cloddopper · « **Reply #3 on:** November 11, 2017, 10:42:53 am »

My Cambridge favourites strawberry's haven't stopped producing as yet neither have my late sown broad beans .

All the 10 or so Fushia are still in strong flower the geraniums havn't yet succumbed to the cold nights .

Normally by now the queen has stopped laying .

Anyone brave enough to have a peep the next dry , still day when it's over 10 oC might let us all know the state of egg production ... I suspect the queen is still laying for most of us in the southern part of the UK ( below Worcester ) so there will be big in roads made in to the over winter stores .

It might be sensible to make up your own preservative free fondant patty's & slip one 6 inch dia one across the middle of the frames . Don't worry about water ther's plenty around for the bees .