Last night, Bill called me to insist on the fact that I had to install 1/8th inch spacers, which would lift the outer covers enough to get ventilation in the hive. He worried that otherwise there would be too much humidity in the hive – one of the worst things for the bees. So this is what started my day. Even before Sylvie was out of the house, I ran the table saw to cut the required pieces and install them.
      Then we were lucky. The sun came out and eventually my thermometer indicated nearly 10 °C. I checked on the bees about every 20 minutes to see when / if they would come out.
     From one hive, the bees were emerging in larger numbers, whereas there was no sign of life in front of the other. I was wondering whether this would mean that there is trouble. But then I saw one, and another one come out. When I checked again, there was plenty of life in front of both. I watched one worker pull a dead bee out of the hive and over the edge of the shelf.
     I was lucky, I got a shot with bees just coming back from relieving themselves. They are like B-52s, landing gear out to get ready and touch down.