Its obviously the work of the bee liberation front. You keep them al cooped up, nick their honey, and give them Tate & Lyle instead, no wonder they abscond.

My bees don't seem to have made it through the winter this time. I had three colonies all of which were flying up to Christmas, then nothing.

I've not opened up the hives yet, as I only have the weekends to look at them and its not really been the weather. They went into the winter with plenty of food, as I left a full super of honey on each hive.

Just when we have all these new pests - pyrethrin resistant varroa, trapeolans, small hive beetle (Aethina tumida) Tropilaelaps clareae and other mites, the UK government decide its a good time to reduce the regional bee inspectors. Good thinking there!

Varroa doesn't actually kill the bees, but the mites create a channel wherby viruses can get into the bees, producing effects like deformed wings, and aberrant behaviour.

John