Early season pollen

Colonies should be bringing in good amounts of pollen by now to help raise the all-important early season brood. The willows near one of my apiaries are buzzing with foraging honey and bumblebees during the warmest part of the day. I’ve also given a few colonies an additional boost of dried pollen simply spooned onto a piece of card. They soon find this and the majority use it up quickly.

Oddly a few colonies ignore it completely … in previous years it’s not clear whether this is related to colony strength, laying rate of the queen or the amount of pollen already stored (or something else entirely).