I saw my first local flower of 2022 in our lawn today. I was on my way to look at the bees and happened to see a couple flowers of creeping speedwell, or Veronica filiformis. This low-growing plant is well adapted to typical lawn care practices, so is considered by some to be a pesky weed. I celebrate it as a later winter flower that provides some early food for bees and other insects.

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It is February – the calm before the storm. Bees are growing and just waiting to burst forth once warmer weather and flower blooms arrive. Beekeepers, meanwhile, are thinking about what equipment they need for the coming season. Should I order more boxes or more frames? Spring is coming.

One chore I have not undertaken before is the cleaning of frames. Last year and I should have done it, and this year I really just need to. After five years I can no longer put it off. I have some time next week and am hoping to make this a priority. Turns out it is not a fun activity, removing wax and propolis to clean and ready a frame for a new season. An image of each is shown in the picture.

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This past week we had a brief bout of warm weather. It was an unusually cold January, and last Wednesday we had a day over 50 F (10 C). The bees were very excited and the photo shows what I found in front of the hive I call Eris that afternoon.

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