Here you can see the lengths I've been to making life as easy as possible for my bees - I planted 100 crocus bulbs on their doorstep last autumn and had to wear full protective gear.
It was very uncomfortable digging in a beesuit on a hot day with masses of bees trying to get me out of their flight path but I persevered and now they can have a vital early source of pollen without having to travel more than a few feet from their front door!
I've not opened the hive at all since that brief peek in January. It's still too cold, even in March now but I can see from checking the Varroa floor that there's plenty of activity right across the hive with pollen being brought in and more wax building.
It's only been a few weeks since I last cleaned this Varroa floor insert but it's already covered in detritus from the hive - I'll have to clean it more regularly now as this is just what would encourage pests and diseases to survive near the hive.
