Bees collecting pollen from the blossoms of apricot trees in one of the many fruit orchards close to Perpignan in the South of France. As well as being a major wine and vegetable producing district, this area produces approx 110,000 tons of peaches, nectarines and apricots per annum and the blossoms are pollinated under contract by beekeepers. These photos were taken on Sunday 7th March 2010, the following day the entire area was covered in 15 inches of snow! Must have been quite a shock for the bees, a drop of 20 C in just 24 hours, it certainly was for the photographer!
