As you know, I’ve recently become a beekeeper! A nucleus of bees is now happy and settled into the first of my two beehives, and now a swarm has moved into the second one!
I was absolutely delighted to hear that someone had spotted a swarm in need of a home! We got a phone call from a man who thought there were a lot of bees flying around his hedge. Immediately Brian, a longtime beekeeper and my mentor, set off in his car armed with a skep, or wicker container.
[fusion_builder_container hundred_percent=”yes” overflow=”visible”][fusion_builder_row][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Shaking the bees out of the skep
He arrived and found the bees stuck in the hedge. He had to cut some of the branches and drop the swarm into the skep. Then he spotted another group of bees lower down in the hedge,so he scooped them up with his (gloved) hands and popped them in the skep too.
Then he put the whole thing in a box, closed the lid and drove them over to my house!
There he put down a ramp and shook the bees out of the skep. The swarm simply walked up and into the hive!
[/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”]Through the front door
This is fascinating. A few bees here are putting their tails in the air to release a pheromone that tells all the bees still flying around to come to the door and go inside!
I’m delighted that a swarm has moved into my hive! I’ll keep you posted on how the bees are getting on.
About a year ago, I took a 12 week course at the British Beekeepers Association in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire, to learn about keeping your own bees.
We have a declining bee population in the UK, and I believe it’s up to everybody to do their bit to help. And to be honest, I’d always fancied the idea of keeping bees. And finally, I’ve got a hive full of bees in my garden!
Among the blossom
I decided to situate the bees in the corner of my garden where I had recently planted a little micro orchard of mini fruit. It includes apple, pear, cherry and almond trees, and makes the perfect home for my new bees.
My first step was to get a little a beehive. I had it made by a local hive maker out of beautiful red cedar wood.
Now I just needed some bees. My friend Brian, who’s been a beekeeper for 50 years and is mentoring me, helped my find somebody who was selling a nucleus. This is a little bee colony with a queen and her brood which needs a new home.
I actually have two beehives: one with the nucleus and another empty one. Rather than buying bees to fill it, I’m leaving it available to a swarm of bees that naturally finds itself looking for new home.
Here come the bees
[/fusion_text][fusion_text]
The bees arrive!
I was beside myself with anticipation, and the bees finally arrived this week in a little box. In fact, the owner had driven over with the box on his front seat. I can’t tell you how excited I was to see my bees! It was just like being a kid again.
The guys who came to help me settle the bees in took the box over to the hive and opened it. They used a little smoke from a canister to calm the bees down.
[/fusion_text][fusion_text]
Smoke from the canister stops them getting agitated
Then they took out the individual frames and slotted them into the beehive.
It was a marvellous feeling to see the bees settling into their new home. The best thing was seeing some of the bees immediately set off to explore the orchard and heading straight for the fruiting cherry blossoms!
Once all the frames were in, the beehive lid went back on the top. Then we put a little green mat down as a ramp to help some of the stragglers crawl up and into their new home. They seemed very happy with it!
[/fusion_text][fusion_text]
The stragglers catch up!
Suited up
There is that initial trepidation, if you’ve never been so close to a beehive before, of suddenly getting caught in a swarm of bees. And the sound of them flying about is as alarming as it is fascinating!
The swarm of bees suddenly appears all around you, and you really have to trust in your suit and gloves and just keep calm.
[/fusion_text][fusion_text]
Trying out my new beekeeper’s suit
I’m still trying to get used to these bee suits – they look a bit cumbersome but they’re very easy to use.
It helped that I’m a scuba diver, and have taken part in hundreds of dives, so I’m comfortable in the suit and trust that it will keep me safe.
It was an amazing experience to see the bees settling into their new home and getting used to the area. And now that corner of the garden, full of bees and blossom and fruit trees, just has so much more personality. It’s really come alive.
They are just getting used to the neighbourhood, and we could have our own honey by this time next year!
Keeping bees isn’t as difficult as you think! For those of you interested in having a go, try the British Beekeepers Association – they do a very good comprehensive training session. For more information, check out their website.
Bugs have very simple requirements when they’re looking for a home: somewhere nice and damp with lots of mess and a bit of added mould for good measure.
Insects will use man-made structures to lay their eggs in, or to hibernate in through the winter, either as an adult or as larvae. These range from woodpiles, garden canes and furniture to holes in brickwork and garden sheds.
There are many garden plants and shrubs that attract bees, butterflies and other pollinating insects to help increase their numbers. Popular plants include hebe, sedum, yarrow, heather, foxglove, buddleja, allium, scabious, pulmonaria and flowering cherry.
Click here to see the full RHS list of plants for pollinators.
Or, if you have space, why not create an area in the garden for wild native plants to flourish among protective plants like bramble?
Wildflower seeds are available at garden centres to create this type of mini-habitat. Simply spread the seeds by hand over the soil, and press them in by lightly standing on them. You can also buy specific bee-friendly flower seeds from the British Beekeepers Association.
