Books, Paintings and Illustrations
Bees, Horses, Birds, British Wildlife & Countryside animals
3.1
Daffodils, the First Signs of Spring
She wore her yellow sun-bonnet
She wore her greenest gown;
She turned to the south wind
And curtsied up and down.
She turned to the sunlight
And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbour:
"Winter is dead." – A A Milne
Daffodils and the Start of a New Beekeeping Season
Pretty yellow daffodils blooming in March are a sign of spring for the honey bees as well as us! It couldn’t be lovelier for a honey bee, having waited inside the hive for so long, to be freely flying amongst the flowers on a spring day!
Or so it might seem. In fact, it’s a serious business for their survival, and ours – for without the bees doing their job, our diets would completely change, not least very few fruits and vegetables would be available.
Flowers blooming in March offer honey bees in the South of England, and beyond, an early supply of nectar and pollen. It is a prompt for bees to support their queen’s egg-laying with increased foraging and to get-going with brood-rearing. It is the start of the season.
In early spring, our heroine, Izzie, is out visiting the delicate new daffodils. They provide much needed nectar and pollen for the increased brood-rearing activities that are about to get underway.