Our first colony of honey bees was due to arrive a couple of weeks ago but the weather was so dreadful we left them where they are for the time being. As it happens this was for the best as I then found out that The Three Spaniels is a little too close to their current home. There is a possibility – well, a probability – that they will fly straight back to the spot the hive was moved from if the new position is not more than three miles away from the original site.
We’ve been to see the bees anyway and they’re busy busy busy making honey and gathering pollen, which is good news, but that means the hive is too heavy for us to move! So the plan is to use a ‘clearing board’ to keep the bees in the heart of the hive in order for us to move it in separate pieces. It will then be put back together as it was so the bees can carry on without having to start all over again.
As a new ‘beekeeper’ – I can hardly call myself that just yet – this is all way beyond my knowledge so expert advice is being sought. I have found a kind friend who will happily ‘bee-sit’ for me for the three weeks before they can finally come home to The Three Spaniels, and it’s not so far away that I can’t pop in to check on their progress.
In the meantime, their lovely new beehive stand awaits them, and the few wild-flower seeds I have scattered are coming along nicely. Progress report next week hopefully.
