Spring Is Here and the Bees Are On It

Hanging out the washing this week on the line next to the clematis, I couldn't help but hear the sound of buzzing - the sound of busy bees out and about.  The sound was loud as though I was standing next to a hive, but it was just that there seemed to be loads of them going for the open flowers - the word was out, there was pollen to be had and it was in our garden.  

This was a reassuring sight as the bees have been in sharp decline over the past few years and need all of the help they can get.  I've got lots more bee friendly plants on the menu for them to keep them happy throughout the summer.

Mr Cocopopia was walking in the local park recently (about half a mile away) and found an area of scrub-land fenced off in a hidden corner of the park.  It was only because a bee-keeper dressed all in white, standing in this area, caught his eye, and then he noticed the hives.  How wonderful that a local park has allocated a protected space for cultivation of beehives in a quiet corner of the park - why aren't all parks doing this?

I'm going to have to investigate further as I'd love to know how long they've been doing it for and how successful they've been with their hives.  I'm also hoping that maybe I can track down a jar of their honey as it will be so local, it would be the closest thing to honey from our own garden.