Today was an exciting day - I was at last going to get to go into the apiary and see the bees. They are now awake and busy after the winter, so I was going to see some action.
Mr Warren inspects our hives weekly, and I met him there to find out for myself what happens. The colony within the observation hive inside the shed is working really well and the queen is busy laying eggs; she is a young queen so full of vigour. The hive outside has a queen which is 3 years old and starting to slow down, but the colony is still very healthy.
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| This is the entrance to the indoor hive. A small hole within the apiary enclosure. The white plate and landing zone are to guide the bees, and enable them to find the entrance on a large blank shed side. |
After donning the bee suit in I went while Mr Warren opened the hives and checked the slides. Each showed a selection of activities - from larvae to honey, drone cells to nectar. It was fascinating to watch the bees making a bee line (yes an actual bee line) from the apiary and over the side gate to the nearest source of nectar which we think is a line of horse chestnuts. And that leads me into the different colours of pollen in the sacs. We spotted bright yellows, greens and one bee with dark red pollen sacs. Fascinating.
The bees were so gentle and docile, taking no notice of us at all as they were busy. It was such a privilege today to see them at their work. I'm quite envious of the Year 4 children who will soon be starting an enquiry on the different colours of pollen and where the bees might be sourcing it.
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| The way into the indoor hive is through this channel - the entrance to which is a small hole on the outside but within the enclosure. |
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| The top of our observation hive |
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Our fabulous observation hive.
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