“A swarm in May, is worth a bale of hay”, or so folklore would have us believe. There’s little doubt that our bees are making the most of the improvement in the weather. We are receiving reports of swarms daily, with our appointed swarm collectors chasing them far and wide. A swarm is nature’s way of reproduction of course and, although the appearance can be daunting to the uninitiated, it is, after all, a good sign that the bees are thriving. We should take every opportunity to advise any onlookers that they are not to be feared, if left alone. Good for bees, good for our food harvests (and often a welcome bonus for beekeepers)!

The apiary has been busy. We have opened the facility to several new prospective beekeepers, all very eager to take part in our beekeeping adventure, handling frames, identifying queen bees, seeing honey being produced before their very eyes and generally finding fascination in our craft. Welcome to you all!

We delivered a ‘swarm and swarm control’ evening seminar recently, just in time to prepare for the inevitable!

More bees-in-a-tree to contend with, fresh from the success of an earlier ‘cut-out’ on the site of a housing development. All in a day’s work and a pleasure to help. Bees and beekeeper are doing well!

That’s all for now.

Think like a bee!