Awareness of the impact that hedges, wild areas, lawns and verges have on insects, birds and animals is beginning to get notice. Where sprays must be used on crops, the protection of wildlife and bees should always be to the fore. When bees are foraging on blossoms, spraying during early morning or late evening helps reduce deaths or, in the case of fungicides, carrying contaminants back to the hive.

From the perspective of the beekeeper, those plants that produce both nectar and pollen are of paramount importance. The dandelion is a wonderful supplier of nectar and pollen to bees. Postponing the mowing of grass when the dandelion is in full bloom will allow bees to collect the nectar and pollen from it.

Beekeepers are well into their seasonal activities, checking colonies for brood, stores, pollen, space for the queen to lay, brood pattern, absence or presence of disease, planning for queen rearing and more.

Some beekeepers specialise in the production of queens for the beekeeping community, while others produce nuclei. Nuclei are used to replace losses, expand colony numbers and to get beginners started.

April to July are the prime months in beekeeping. This is when the queen is laying anywhere between 1,500 and 2,000 eggs daily. The population explosion in the hive happens from mid to late May, until the end of June.

This is the most challenging time for beekeepers, since they must use all their skills to prevent the loss of bees through swarming. There are many technical methods used to control swarming, which beekeepers need to be familiar with.

Over time, the wax comb in many of the brood frames becomes very dark. This results from the repeated cycles of brood rearing. These frames of honeycomb contain within their cells the larval cocoons. Larvae reared in these cells defecate in them before spinning a cocoon.

The faeces are trapped behind the cocoon and may contain pathogens, so are likely to spread disease to young bees, whose duty it is to clean these cells in preparation for the queen to lay eggs in them.

To limit disease spread, such dark combs should not be allowed to remain in the hive. Beekeepers should remove about four of the worst ones annually and replace them with frames of wax foundation. This can only be done during the active bee season, when there are wax-producing bees to draw out the cells on the wax sheet. Wax foundation consists of a wax sheet containing the hexagon imprint of the cells. Wax building bees produce wax from four pairs of wax glands and use it to draw the cells out. They may then be filled with honey, pollen or brood.

All of this would be in vain if a nectar and pollen supply were not available. Biodiversity is the buzz word nowadays. But, words are not enough. We all need to be pro-active in this regard. It is the constant drip that wears the stone. Eventually, one would hope, better ways of providing a living environment for all might come to pass, especially for those unseen life-supporting insects, fungi, bacteria and animals, on which we depend.