<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Varroa-treatmentDec19.jpg"><img class="alignright size-medium wp-image-6009" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/Varroa-treatmentDec19-300x225.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="225" /></a>As my friend, Gary, said to me the other day, I don't think my bees have been reading the same bee books as me because they are not behaving as they should. Equally the weather continues to be milder than expected at this time of year. I've given the bees their Varroa mite treatment. This requires dribbling a mixture of oxalic acid and sugar syrup along the seams of bees. It is undertaken at this time of year because the bees are clustered together and not outside flying. The acid kills the mites which are sitting on the bees however the bees are unaffected by it, or so they say.

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/active-beesDec19.jpg"><img class="alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-6010" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/active-beesDec19-150x200.jpg" alt="" width="150" height="200" /></a>Within two hours of giving the treatment the bees became very active. Whether this was as a result of the treatment or the sun shining on the hive I don't know.

Hopefully they have come to no harm and will get through the coldest part of the winter which lies ahead.

<a href="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/beef-bourgiugnonDec19.jpg"><img class="alignright size-thumbnail wp-image-6008" src="http://pigyard.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/beef-bourgiugnonDec19-200x150.jpg" alt="" width="200" height="150" /></a>And my culinary efforts continue to be extended. I have a limited recipe list which I tend to roll out for friends however I enjoy trying new things. This week it was beef bourguignon. On the advice of more knowledgeable friends I used a Delia Smith recipe. It took a total of 3 hours to cook but it was well worth it. You can't smell or taste it from this photo but, with some pride, I have to say it was delicious.