During our latest weekly hive examinations, we’ve observed the colony growing in strength and numbers. The bees have started creating honey in the supers (the top shallower boxes where they store honey). There are four good frames of capped honey, and we hope to have enough soon to spin and jar for sale in our shop.

We don’t want to take honey from the bees too soon as there’s a period after the vast spring pollen in May and before the summer flowers bloom that’s called the “June gap”. During this time there can be a shortage of suitable pollen and therefore they rely on eating some of the honey stores in the hive.

However our bees are very lucky with rich flora around the heritage Centre. We have huge lime trees at the front of the cottages which will be a good source of food, along with the riverside shrubs, and the flowers our volunteers are planting and taking care of in our lovely cottage garden.

Next time you are down at the Centre take a look at our apiary and watch the bees busily coming and going into the with their pollen.

Bye for now,

The CHC Apiary Team