Found a nice bunch of stats on this blog, https://adventuresinbeeland.com/2019/01/14/how-many-honey-bees-are-there-a-2019-update/ , using data from www.fao.org/faostat/
See visual below; the blog article is worth a read, too.
CONFUSING ENTHUSIASM WITH RESULTS
When you earnestly believe you can compensate for a lack of skill by doubling your efforts, there's no end to what you can't do.
28 February 2019
27 February 2019
26 February 2019
That's gonna sting a bit...
More on the World's Biggest Bee, aka Megachile pluto (Wallace's giant bee). Does it sting?
22 February 2019
World's biggest bee found alive
By Helen Briggs, BBC News, Science and Environment
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-47311186
Summary: it's effing enormous.
21 February 2019
Robbing on an industrial scale
Passing through Moƻtiers in France, I spotted this collection of around 50 hives, basking in February sunshine. Thousands of bees were flying, but I'm fairly sure there was no forage available - prompting robbing on an industrial scale. You can *just* see the bees in this photo.
16 February 2019
11 February 2019
07 February 2019
06 February 2019
05 February 2019
Starvation
The mild weather followed by cold snap has got me worried. Last week the bees were out flying. With precious little forage available, I presume they were eating through the stores. This week it is too cold to inspect. All the colonies have fondant on the top bars of the brood frames, but in my experience they are reluctant to take it down...
Here's a picture of Mr Creosote.
Here's a picture of Mr Creosote.
03 February 2019
St Haralampi, patron saint of beekeeping
Religion, despite being a dangerous infection of the human mind, does occasionally come up with some crackingly good nonsense: St Haralampi, patron saint of beekeeping.