98. Winter fare...

A quick update on what food I am still managing to collect from the garden. Eggs, of course, but also leeks, a solitary purple sprouting brocoli and kale. The kale in particular has survived the Winter snows well. The leeks less well, not suitable for guests really, but very little of either make the chicken house. Sorry, girls.


Winter projects are going well. Foraging hedge prepartions are almost complete (a couple of metres to go).

And the bee course is constantly fascinating. It feels a little bit like the horse has bolted. But, I am planning to get some more this Spring or early Summer. Not quite sure how yet - if you have a swarm in your garden, then please let me know asap. (For those legal eagles out there, there is no property in a swarm once you have lost sight of it.)

A few interesting bee facts:-

(1) Drone congregation zones - drones (male bees) from lots of different colonies (300 or so from each) congregate in these zones in numbers of up to 30 000. They are waiting for any passing Queens; this ensures genetic diversity rather than them mating with a Queen from their own colony. They always meet up in the same places, and there are books (small ones admittedly) that list the OS coordinates of these locations. Quite amazing as drones die off each Winter so that the locations are not simply a habit from last year.

(2) Honey combs do not drip honey (or nectar, the pre-processed honey) because the bees build them at a slight upward angle of a couple of degrees.

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