Wildflowers!
Knocking the socks off a lawn.
Read MoreFiltering by Category: Apiary CB4
Disc Hive goes to the Farm
The Disc Hive bees have been having big adventures this year.
Headed by Queen Honey, they surged into growth this spring, and I only just split them in time to stop a mid-April swarm. After that, I split the top colony again, by transferring Queen Honey and half the brood into a nucleus box, leaving the remainder to raise a new queen. But despite my interventions, they swarmed. I think I left too many queen cells in the lower colony, so they produced more than one new queen, and had enough flying bees for one of those queens to leave with a swarm.
Sadly, despite marching theatrically into a new hive as you can see in the Gallery video, that swarm has ended up being queenless. Perhaps the swarm queen and her swarm parted ways. Perhaps she didn't mate successfully. Perhaps she was injured during my inexpert swarm collecting. Whatever, the swarm are unhappily living out the rest of their days as laying workers.
Meanwhile, back in the Disc Hive, Queen Irene has ascended to the throne. I discovered her presence by surprise, when I was preparing to re-introduce Queen Honey to that hive after the Bee Inspector had reported it to be queenless. Queen Irene is the daughter of Queen Honey, and probably a younger sister or half-sister of the queen who left with the swarm. Although perhaps there's an outside chance she actually is the queen who left with the swarm, who somehow sneaked back home again!
Anyway, I do hope Queen Irene is a brave but gentle queen, because at this tender young age she has already gone on a big adventure. Yesterday, in the early morning, we took the Disc Hive to a new home in the Cambridgeshire countryside. A local farmer has welcomed the bees on to his land, where hopefully they will make themselves useful pollinating field beans. I'm not sure yet whether I worry more about them now they are there (are they ok? has the hive been knocked over by wildebeest? when can I visit?) or when they were here (are they causing a nuisance? is there a bee caught in my hair again?). But, at any rate, it's a big move - we now have apiary number two!
Swarming
The post I hoped not to write this year.
Read MoreAlmond Blossom
My photo album indicates that the almond tree flowered in January last year. This year, it's late, having waited until March for bud burst. It's flowering whole-heartedly now though.
Almond trees are (supposed to be) one of the earliest trees to flower. Which is helpful for the bees, who need that early nectar and pollen to get going at the start of the season. And my hope is that this tree will grow tall and provide a little shade and screening for the hives that stand against the South-facing house wall.
The tree fruited last year and we enjoyed a few almonds. Or I did, anyway. Other household members found them unfamiliar and suspicious objects in their green cases.
We have lift off!
This past weekend saw the opening of the first flower on the almond tree, of the first flower on the flowering currant, and of the beehives.
Read MoreWinter Flowers
We have a Christmas Box (Sarcococca) in the front garden, covered in sweet flowers, which the bees have been visiting.
They seem to be collecting nectar rather than pollen. Their pollen baskets are empty and I think in a couple of the photos you can see that they are extending their tongues into the base of the flowers. Here's a close-up:
Incidentally, a word about photographing bees on flowers. Bees are too busy to pause for many Kodak moments. And if they do, you can be sure my camera will be focusing on something else. I suppose that's why BBC Wildlife Photographer of the Year tends not to be won by people who've just whipped a camera phone out of their pocket.
Anyway, I had some questions. Are those flowers really producing nectar? Does the nectar taste like the flowers smell? Would honey from the nectar taste like that too? Try tasting the flowers...yes, I think there is a sweetness there.
Under the microscope, I tried to see whether there was nectar at the base of the flowers. Removing the stamens to get a better look, I saw a shiny green middle, and perhaps knocked some tiny drops of nectar from it on to the petals...but I'm not sure.
Tasty crocus
Early nectar is vital for the honey bees. In the hives, brood numbers are growing while honey reserves are dwindling.
They need pollen too, but they seem to be finding that, as bees return to the hive laden with full pollen baskets.
In the apiary we have a few crocuses, which the birds have thoughtfully eaten the petals off to help the bees get to the pollen.
There is also this plant, which for some time I tried to eradicate from romping round the pond, but my efforts were unsuccessful:
It turns out to be the Winter Heliotrope. Apparently it is a good source of early nectar, although I have not subjected it to the same investigations as the Christmas Box. Anyway I am now pleased to have it here for the bees. It turns out that this plant is rather like the Ents from the Lord of the Rings, insofar as it has male and female forms but only the males are to be found. The plant was introduced from Africa, but only the male. The female plants are absent from Britain. Welcome to Copper Bee Apiary, Winter Heliotrope.