Light at the end of the tunnel !!

[REDWOOD]

4X4's are only as good as the driver, a woman next door bought one and thought she could drive the same speed in the snow and ended up banned from driving and a bent BMW

 

[BrianO]

Bloody " Storm Rachel " due to hit tonight , 150k winds...... Now am worried re my hives .....

 

[madasafish]

-4.5C overnight.. and expecting -6C by Friday..

Winter still here with a vengeance..


Nice walking weather tho, except lots of melted snow has turned to ice.
Pants for doing beehive woodwork in our garage.. no point heating it as it's too large and draughty..
As usual fluorescent tubes in kitchen and garage decide to go pop with hard frosts...

 

[richardbees]

All my 'pussy willow' is flowering - but too cold for bees

 

[Hivemaker.]

All my 'pussy willow' is flowering - but too cold for bees

What kind of willow is that?

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

I have a Brazilian willow in my garden. No fluff whatsoever on the flowers

 

[richardbees]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pussy_willow

let google be your friend!

F followed Ted Hooper's advice and planted a few around my apiary.

 

[Hivemaker.]

I have a Brazilian willow in my garden. No fluff whatsoever on the flowers

Plenty of hazel catkins out around here now, but the willow flowers around April time over this way, later than most places i expect.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Plenty of hazel catkins out around here now, but the willow flowers around April time over this way.

same here - hazels showing catkins - no sign of life from the crack willow/goat willow. Some snowdrops poking their heads up around the apple trees though.

 

[richardbees]

Jenkins, mine are rooted cuttings taken from undergrowth on the local railway embankment.... Grey willow or grey sallow (Salix cinerea), a small tree native to northern Europe

rich

 

[Hivemaker.]

Jenkins, mine are rooted cuttings taken from undergrowth on the local railway embankment.... Grey willow or grey sallow (Salix cinerea), a small tree native to northern Europe

rich

Seems to be in bud really early if it's the same one as in this link...April to May normally.http://www.naturespot.org.uk/species/grey-willow

Hope you don't get too many things flowering early over London way, it will be all over before the bees get chance to get airborne during the cold weather.

 

[richardbees]

I have three different plants, including one that's a rooted branch in a tub of water - they all have grey furry buds, haven't seen yellow flowers yet.

 

[Hivemaker.]

haven't seen yellow flowers yet.

Talking of yellow flowers, we do have plenty of gorse in flower around here.

 

[mbc]

Talking of yellow flowers, we do have plenty of gorse in flower around here.

Hazels not out yet, usually comes afore d willow.
Remember, don't eat the yellow snow

 

[priono]

MBC. Zappa fan?

 

[madasafish]

Meanwhile the "light at the end of the tunnel" which the OP talked about is obscured by a few inches of snow here..

 

[Firefly]

Shouldn't we welcome a bit of chilly weather? Stop them producing brood before there is food, stop them wasting energy?

 

[beeno]

MBC. Zappa fan?

I am

 

[domino]

It is funny a few weeks ago we were having the average temps for March, now it's back to normal. I love we have seasons so don't mind a bit of a chill.

 

[philipm]

Saw first Snowdrops and Dafodils yesterday ,Hopefully a sign that spring isn't far away.