Spring coming?

I said in a previous blog that during the winter my main job is to worry about the colonies making it through to Spring.
But while I am doing this there are also loads of dull messy jobs which includes cleaning, repairing or replacing the wooden frames in the Supers. These are the boxes that have the frames where the bees make the honey we have.
They are kept at the bottom of the garden and I stacked in  columns - ready to use-nearly ready to use-not ready to use. Later I will get them all ready so they can be shipped to the apiaries ready for when honey production starts.
Some of the frames had set honey in them, i.e where the honey has crystallised and gone hard and I thought once Spring arrived I would let the bees reclaim the set honey by putting the frames near the hives.

The weather recently has been quite mild and yesterday as I took The Boys for a walk noticed there were quite a few bees around the supers and in particular the frames with the set honey in them.
Initially I was a little concerned they were out so early in the year when there's little for them to forage on but equally it was very nice seeing them again.
In the Ravensden apiary I have a beach chair and often I plonk myself down and just watch them. Initially I look out for anything odd, signs of disease but their endless activity and to-ing and fro-in can be quite hypnotic and restful.
When I got home again I went to have a look and there were quite a few feeding on the honey and I couldn't resist watching them. I didn't bother with a suite or gloves and they just got on with things and weren't concerned  by me moving a couple of frames nearer to them.

This morning I went over to the apiary to see what was going on and there were a few bees flying from all hives except the one that looked very small when I applied the oxalic acid.  Ufortunately it hadn't made it.