Happy bees

On the best day of the year so far, I was able to inspect my bees for the first time. Despite the vandalism during the winter, the four colonies were in good health. In fact the colony that had suffered most with broken frames had done a remarkable clean-up job.

 
As I was inspecting the first colony I noticed an odd smell -- part benign, but part nasty. Since smells are a key indicator of disease, I was a little concerned. Then I discovered the source: just below my nose on the veil, was the most enormous bee poo I've ever seen. I can assure you that what must have been a very large bee is now very much smaller.