These Black Northern Bees !!

Thursday : 12C and honey bees are foraging around our garden.
These 'black' bees are so hardy!

 There are still a feww varieties of flowers to tempt them out of their warm combs.
Rudbeckia (Goldsturm) will flower up to the first heavy frost.
These are NOT the bees first choice.

Globe thistles are looking tired but still have some nectar (and pollen) to offer.

Biggest surprise to me is the popularity of these clumps of garlic chives in the vegetable garden - positively buzzing - though naturally by the time the shot was lined up only one was still around! Typical!

If you have amazing eyesight you will see the bees flying in and out of the hives.  This is around midday and the sun is low in the sky.
Not much chance of these blackberries ripening this side of Christmas!!