The beehives are reunited
This afternoon my husband and I set out to collect the Beehaus from the previous apiary site and bring it to the new one. It could have ended in disaster (and divorce) but thankfully it didn't as all the bees (apart from five that I counted) made it to the new site.
This morning I headed out at 7am to close the entrance of the Beehaus as we were planning on moving it at around 2pm. The reason being that the bees would all be out foraging at 2pm and wouldn't move with the Beehaus. But at 2pm when we arrived to move it, around five bees who must have headed out at the crack of dawn were trying to get in. There was no way I could get them in without letting a load of others out, so we just had to leave them behind. *sob*
We got the bees in my husband's van but I think the entrance block was a bit dodgy as a few more bees seemed to have crept out. With no barrier between the bees and ourselves, we decided to drive the three miles to the apiary site in our bee suits (he will eventually look back on this day and laugh).
Thankfully we all arrived in one piece but the next obstacle was getting the bees in the gate and past the horses. I'm sure I've mentioned in previous posts that the apiary is opposite a paddock and I am no fan of horses (I blame it on being thrown off one when I was about ten and my bum being sore for weeks afterwards).
I don't think she (or possibly he - I didn't check) was that keen on what was inside this box. Certainly, not something good to eat.
Eventually we got the Beehaus in its new position. I opened up the entrance fully (although some bees had been squeezing their way out for some time) and leant some foliage against their front door. This is supposed to make them realise that there is something up with their new location and so orientate themselves with the sun before flying off and not being able to get back to the hive, or flying off to the hive's old location.
The three hives are now reunited. I'll be back tomorrow to possibly carry out a brief inspection on the poly hive colonies if the sun stays out and clean up around the hives. There are loads of nettles, which will get massive before too long. (Also, for the sharp eyed amongst you - that is an electric fence running in front of the hives. It's to keep the bees safe from the horses, or possibly the other way round).
This morning I headed out at 7am to close the entrance of the Beehaus as we were planning on moving it at around 2pm. The reason being that the bees would all be out foraging at 2pm and wouldn't move with the Beehaus. But at 2pm when we arrived to move it, around five bees who must have headed out at the crack of dawn were trying to get in. There was no way I could get them in without letting a load of others out, so we just had to leave them behind. *sob*
We got the bees in my husband's van but I think the entrance block was a bit dodgy as a few more bees seemed to have crept out. With no barrier between the bees and ourselves, we decided to drive the three miles to the apiary site in our bee suits (he will eventually look back on this day and laugh).
Thankfully we all arrived in one piece but the next obstacle was getting the bees in the gate and past the horses. I'm sure I've mentioned in previous posts that the apiary is opposite a paddock and I am no fan of horses (I blame it on being thrown off one when I was about ten and my bum being sore for weeks afterwards).
I don't think she (or possibly he - I didn't check) was that keen on what was inside this box. Certainly, not something good to eat.
Eventually we got the Beehaus in its new position. I opened up the entrance fully (although some bees had been squeezing their way out for some time) and leant some foliage against their front door. This is supposed to make them realise that there is something up with their new location and so orientate themselves with the sun before flying off and not being able to get back to the hive, or flying off to the hive's old location.
I'm not a fan of bees. I would most certainly be on the other side of the fences with the horses! I've been following you on Instagram but I missed that you were a bee keeper. Bees are very interesting and vital to the general botanical world but I'll keep my distance.
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