Peter said:
 but Italians in the UK keep raising brood no matter what the weather and
require vast amounts of winter stores compared to our native dark bees
(perhaps 60lbs against 20lbs).

They  do likewise in the U.S..

The woolly worm is a small worm with brown to black markimgs  by which the
old timers predict the coming winter from but of cource the  shape of the
inside of the persimmion seed helps with  their prediction (knife, spoon or
fork shape).

I personnaly find the weather as unpredictable.

If the weather happens to be like they predicted then they brag. If the
weather is the opposite they simply change the subject.

An old timer said yesterday while buying honey that the last time the
catidids (spelling?) were  singing this time of year at night we had a
severe winter.

The weather is a subject always talked about by country people. Never are
they happy as it is always too dry or too hot or we need rain or we don't
need rain.

Whatever I say  is never right (according to the old timers) so I only
listen to the predictions.

Like the weatherman on the news  the locals are right about 50% of the time
on their predictions.

I have never been able to predict the coming winter by things the bees are
doing. Can others?

Bob

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