Bees Are Here

 The bees have arrived.

The weather is rough today so what better way to spend the morning than to drive over to Cardiff to pick up our new guests. 3 hours later and we have 3 Langstroth hives with bees 'of no particular pedigree' waiting to be sited. David placed a couple of slabs in the apiary at the weekend so we are good to go. My only reservation being the conflict of sizes. We are hoping to rehouse the bees in Warres which are a good bit smaller so the slabs have been purchased with them in mind rather than the larger Langstroth. Let's hope there's no wobbling.

In pouring rain the hives are sited in line with my existing colonies. The hive is literally buzzing and as I lift the hive against my leg I can feel the heat of the colony through the wood. The gauze is holding well and I shall let them out tomorrow after they have buzzed the worst of their anger out.

Key things to remember when transporting bees: traditionally it is held that you can move bees more than 3 miles or less than 3 feet during their active periods. More than 3 miles guarantees the bees will not enter onto any previously formed flight paths and therefore should not be tempted to return to their old site. Less then 3 feet and they should still be able to locate the scent of their colony. In winter you can move them readily wherever necessary.

Like other creatures, bees need to breathe so a good heavy duty gauze pinned to the doorway should ensure your drive is not interrupted by escapees. Trust me when I say that is not a funny situation!

The bees' new home

Although not considered as useful to the
 honeybee as the foetida
the Hellebore nudiflora offers early pollen.

We live near woods so a large part of the bees' forage will be willow and  hazel. In the apiary we have a selection of (not always wild) flowers which include Hellebores , Knapweed, Cuckoo Flower, Lungwort, Primroses and the ever present Dandelion.

The new arrivals waiting to be released.

As a general rule of thumb, flowers with many whorls of petals are likely to have sacrificed their nectaries for flower power.
 Floribundas are therefore less attractive to honey bees.

Among the wild flowers which have seeded themselves successfully can be found some cultivated garden flowers. Pot marigolds and wallflowers grow side by side with the lesser celandines and dandelions.

For more information on good plants to attract wildlife to your garden try these sites:
 http://www.rhs.org.uk/science/pdf/conservation-and-biodiversity/wildlife/rhs_pollinators_plantlist
http://www.buzzaboutbees.net/wildflowers-and-natives.html

13th May 2014

The second hive is constructed and positioned with the adapter and Langstroth. As is ever the case the bees have found all the nooks and crevices and I suspect are not using the intended doorway as much as they should be.