What’s the buzz?

The better weather has also meant the start of the season for Scotland’s beekeepers.

The bees have been holed up for the last five months but as soon as it’s warm enough for the flowers to appear it’s warm enough for the bees to get out and start collecting pollen and nectar.

At Braehead Community Garden we started a small apiary last year and should have our first honey in a few months.

Would you feel unlucky or lucky if you opened your back door one morning and saw 10,000 bees on your fence? Your answer will let me know if you’re a beekeeper or not.

We’ve never yet been through it but we’re coming into swarming season. Beesswarmwhenthe colony grows too large. The queen bee leaves and takes half of the workers with her. They then settle near to their old home while scouts head out, looking for a new home. Once they’ve found one, the bees make a beeline for it and settle in.

Beekeepers will spend much of their time in the coming months ensuring that they control the swarming because if they don’t they’ll watch half of their hive flying off into the sunset.

This time last year I would have run a mile if I’d seen a swarm of bees out in the open. Now I’d probably try and catch them.

If you do see one and don’t know what to do leave it alone and it will moveoninadayorso. Orifit’sinan inconvenient location give the local beekeeping association a call.