Western Honey Bee

Some of you might be thinking 'he's done crocus before' and you'd be right. But it's not the crocus, it's the bees. Apis mellifera was out and about in numbers for the first time this year in our garden. It was a beautiful day with temperatures reaching twelve degrees centigrade. The same evening I saw our resident bat out and about hawking for insects, which struck me as very early to be out of hibernation. (Perhaps they go back to bed after a snack?)
The big concern recently has been about colony collapse disorder (CCD) which has been variously attributed to many things, including neonicotinoids used in agriculture. However a virus is currently high on the suspect list: Israeli acute paralysis virus.
They are amazing creatures for all sorts of reasons but I'm too bunged up with a nasty cold and it's too late to enumerate them all. So here's a link to follow if you're interested.