It has been a cracking day today in my Northumberland apiary ..the bees where everywhere covering the masses of snowdrops and gathering pollen..i suited up and checked them all for fondant and all was good..i also noticed them collecting water from the compost in the black tubs which the sun must have warmed to there desire..i did see a lot of new hairy bees flashing there Nasonov gland to let the other new bees know where home is so the bees must have been rearing brood for a while..
In my Hartlepool apiary the bees where also very active taking big loads of pollen in from the crocus and small daffodils (i thought daffs where of little use to bees)??..
Like you Patrick i also give each colony in the Alnwick apiary some pollen subs to be on the safe side in case the weather gets bad again..which it will for sure..
Here is a few pictures i took today from the Alnwick bees at the entrance of the strongest colony with a 2019 Buckfast Queen..