Lagging the bees

Brrrrrr ...... with the onset of the winter we have snuggled our bees down under a layer of "lagging". this is easily available from the DIY store and comes on a roll and can be cut to fit with scissors. We have pinned a layer around just 3 sides of the hive, fom just under the lid (leaving the ventilation holes clear) to the base (leaving the varroa tray access clear). to further help reduce draughts, we have plaed the brood box onto an empty super to give a bit of depth between the their front door access and the brood chamber. It might mean a bit more for the bees work to get back into their frames but we trust it will pay dividends in keeping the hive airy but draught free. The lagging can easily be removed and re-used come the spring.

"OM MANI PADME HUM"

"OM MANI PADME HUM"
I recently had the opportunity to take part in a Tibetan blessing ceremony with Lama Ahbay Rinpoche during his visit to gorton monastery in Manchester. During his teaching he illustrated the OM symbo, using one element of the Tibetan prayer flag, as being in 3 parts ( like a bee) and spoke of the "peace that is found when a human being is surrounded by the sound of Om" . What I heard was "humming bees" and my minds eye was filled with the idea of having the prayer flags wrapped around my hives to surround my humming bees with the peace of Om. After the ceremony, I enquired as to whether the prayer flags could be purchased on behalf of my bees, and was truly thrilled to be gifted two sets to use. I wasted no time in installing the prayer flags and the bees seem very happy with them. I explained the story to the bees and also the fact that neither of us needed to become buddhist in order to appreciate the intention of the gesture. We feel truly blessed.

Bee on a bears nose- National Geographic

This is a National Geographic photo which was forwarded to me recently and I feel totally inspired to share it!

The Vanishing of the Bees film release . . .

This week sees the cinema release of Vanishing of the Bees, an eye-opening documentary about the declining bee population, which is supported by The Co-operative as part of our Plan Bee campaign. From Friday 9 October, the film will be in selected cinemas across the country. View the trailer or find your nearest screening.

	Sign the petition Bees are dying in their millions and nobody knows for certain why. As much as £10 million has been set aside to fund research into the causes of bee deaths in the UK. As yet, however, there has been no commitment to fund research into the potential effects of pesticides, despite growing anecdotal evidence that this may be a factor. The Co-operative is therefore petitioning the Government for research into the impact of pesticides on bees. Sign the petition. As a precaution, The Co-operative has already prohibited the use of a group of pesticides on all of our own-brand fresh and frozen produce. These pesticides, called neonicotinoids, have been linked to bee declines elsewhere in Europe. Find out what else The Co-operative is doing for bees. Creating a buzz Plan Bee has seen some great media coverage recently. You can also find us on Twitter and Facebook. We'll be in touch soon with more updates from our campaigns. Thanks for your support, Campaigns team The Co-operative

	for more information on other campaigns visit www.co-operative.coop/takeaction

Extreme bee rescue adventures!

A very distressed lady called me about a week ago to ask if I could help deal with some hives which had been left by a recently deceased relative. He had apparently "loved" his bees and she told me there were two hives somewhere in the garden but she wasn't sure where. The widow wanted rid in the kindest possible way and so they had called me. I asked how on earth they had got my private telephone number? Apparently , when they went through his wallet, the deceased gentleman had a scrap of paper with my name and number and the word "bees" scribbled beside it. Serendipity!?

I called a couple of expert beekeepers from our group as professional and experienced back up and we arranged to go over to the house and see what was what on the Tuesday afternoon.

I arrived on site about 30 minutes before the others, and nothing, . . . nothing . . could have prepared me for what greeted us. The "garden" was more a wilderness grown up and around what had obviously been a scrap yard. Old tyres, broken fridges, bedsteads, mattresses, junk of all sorts was strewn around the yard and hidden in the undergrowth like bear traps for the unsuspecting novice beekeeper. I introduced myself to the widow, who made it clear she didn't want to have to have anything to do with the operation, and we should just get on with it. She told us to take whatever equipment we found and do whatever we wanted with it, give it a good home! So, I ventured forth with my little smoker in hand like Red Riding Hood in the woods. Eventually I found a hive, shoulder deep in brambles and undergrowth and very active with bees. It looked a dodgy thing with a big polystyrene box halfway up the hive and wobbly bits of wood barely holding together. There were umpteen bits of hive abandoned around the area and I managed to salvage quite a lot just to clear some working space.

Still my freinds had not arrived on site.

I went to look for the second hive and found it deep in a woodland glade full of rubbish and even more of a death trap. This hive looked in fairly good nick, but again it was all put together with the wrong boxes in the wrong places.

When the others arrived, we set to sorting out the first hive, to open it up and then reduce the size of the thing and make it manageable to strap it up and tape the holes and get it into their van. It was not easy getting a full hive of pissed off bees over that wild terrain without dropping them. Anyway, we did it and no harm done to either party. Hurrah!

The second hive was a very different kettle of fish. Somehow the bees had made their home in the lid,(see photo) so when we pulled it off they were understandably furious and rained down on us from all directions. It was futile to run, so we carried on going through the hive, removing the rotten and broken things and clearing a space for the bees as best we could. There was no option but to scrape the comb off the lid, bees and all, into the brood box and replace the Queen excluder and then the lid on top of the lot. . . . then run like billyo. Them bees wuz mad at us!!!!!

We were able to load up with quite a lot of re-useable equipment and to make an arrangement with the widow to come back the next day for the second hive . Hopefully the maddened bees would have calmed down a bit by then. Unfortunately, the two experts had to go on to Derbyshire to attend to their own bees, so they could not come again but suggested that my pal Bob and husband Martin could do the job with me. Ooooooer!

Despite my vivid descriptions of the terrain and the circumstances, I don't think Bob or Martin had quite fully grasped the situation. When we arrived, jaws dropped and loins were girded.

Sadly, Bob didn't take my advice to wear "full armour plating" very seriously and so as soon as we started strapping the beehive he was badly stung on the wrists and arms where they got into his gloves and into his sleeves. It was like a cartoon caper with us running from the woods with Bob waving and flapping his hands and me trying to puff smoke onto him to drive them off and disperse the pheromones of the stings. Once Bob was fully gaffer taped into his gloves and jacket and I had taped the tops of my wellies (just to be sure), we trundled off into the woods again.

Truly, I have never seen anything like it, these bees were everywhere and narky as hell. We had to work quickly, smoothly and efficiently and get the hive strapped and secured, tape the entrances ( not nice to have bees stuck on gaffer tape . . . ouch!) and then lift the hive on its stand, like a Chinese Emperor on his throne. Negotiating that out of the woods was a miracle of the guys courage and my navigational skills.

Once we had the hive clear of the undergrowth and up on the yard, we could think about getting it into my van. I insisted on more tape and a sheet over the whole lot. I didn't want angry bees loose in the van.

Sods law, we hit rush hour back into Nottingham, so now the bees were really hot and bothered as well as already mightily pissed off.

When we got back to our house, we had to unload them and get them into our garden to a spot we had cleared as a temporary home for them. It was a case of pull off the tape and run!

So we did!

It took about half an hour before we could go back to them, and thank god it was raining so they mostly stayed in the hive. We all agreed to leave them for a couple of days to settle and then see what's what. To help aclimatise them to us, Martin and I put our days socks on top of the hive so they could get our scent ( it could only improve for them after that!)

The next day I went out really early before they were up and about and put a fence around the hive, not to stop them escaping but to keep the pets off them.

On "what's what" day, Bob came over early and we went in fully armoured up. They had settled quite well and the tone of buzz had dropped to something less scary and they seemed quite compliant to our attentions. Already they had cleaned out the mess from the broken combs and had made good the damaged frames in their brood box. We found about 20lbs of good honey ready to be spun off (Martin took that and did it today in Bobs shed) We have given them a sugar feed to help settle them and a nice new landing board which says "NICE BEES" in magenta pink paint and a lovely rose quartz crystal on the top of the lid. I trust they will feel pampered and inspired. Inside the lid, there is some lepidolite ( they seem to love the lithium element) and some sulphur quartz ( for cleansing) and some citrine (for joy and happiness). I am not sure what they made of the worn socks, but they didn't seem as angry towards us as they had before. No one got stung today.

However, the first night we had them they stung poor little Ruby dog. She was really distressed as the bees were in her chest hairs buzzing frantically. I thought she had swallowed one as I could hear it buzzing away. She is of course used to sniffing at our nice little Twinkle bees and them paying no heed to her. She wasn't expecting an assault. Anyway, we dosed her up with Piriton as advised by the emergency vet, and she slowly went to sleep like you do with antihistimaines. Fortunately she did not have to drive or operate machinary!

So, if you think of our bees in terms of ice cream, our Twinkles are probably raspberry ripple to these new ones chilli & chocolate. Hopefully, with a bit of TLC the new ones can be nurtured into harmony and happiness like ours are. They have a long way to go and as yet we don't know the real state of the colonys health. However, we have agreed to winter them here and in the spring, if they are nice and settled, they can be re-homed with some freinds who want bees. If not, they can go to the NBKA apiary and become part of the teaching set up. Whatever, we will of course do our best for them.

The previous owner was by all accounts a good hearted and generally kind fellow if a little misguided at times and rather a "hobbyist" according to his wife. He ran a scrap yard and had previously done so from the house, hence all the rubbish around. In fact it probably served wildlife quite well as much of the stuff was hidden where nature had reclaimed it. But it seems he was well loved and generous and in his own misguided way he loved his bees. We are grateful his widow called me and didn't just resort to a petrol can and a box of matches, which could have been easier all round. She told us he was very aware of the crisis the bees face and so that was why he decided to get a few hives.

Watch this space . . . we will be paying claose attention to this new hive!

Best in show!!!

How about this for a result!? We entered our first harvest honey and a full comb "ready for extraction" into our local NBKA honey competition at the Moorgreen Show on August Bank Holiday here in Nottinghamshire. We had absolutely no expectations as we are of course novices, but with some encouragement for our mentor Bob we decided to give it ago. We entered the honey into the "beginners"class and as there was only the one entry . . us. . . we felt any prize would be a hollow victory as it was a one horse race. The frame of honey was head to head with Bobs, so again we had no expectations. When the judging was finished, I was surprised to see them heading my way, beaming smiles of congratulations at having awarded us "First Prize". My enthusisam was tempered by my knowledge we were the only entrants in the class, but, what I failed to understand was that we had actually won BEST IN SHOW. That means, we beat all the other entries at all class levels. How fabulous! We were of course blessed with the lime trees in full bloom when our bees first arrived and that is what they foraged. The honey was declared "exquisite". Our frame won 2nd prize and Bobs won 3rd ( neither were good enough for a 1st) . We couldn't wait to tell the bees how well they had done. Now, we are going one step further and entering the Autumn Show, taking our chances in a bigger arena in October. Of course if we win anything more we will be thrilled, and our bees will be "the bees knees!"

God and Grass

I didn't write this . . . but I wish I had. . . it was sent to me by e-mail provenance unknown, but thank you to whoever originally wrote it. xxxxxx brilliant!

GOD: Frank, you know all about gardens and nature. What in the world is going on down there on the planet? What happened to the dandelions, violets, thistle and stuff I started eons ago? I had a perfect no-maintenance garden plan. Those plants grow in any type of soil, withstand drought and multiply with abandon. The nectar from the long-lasting blossoms attracts butterflies, honey bees and flocks of songbirds. I expected to see a vast garden of colours by now. But, all I see are these green rectangles. ST. FRANCIS: It's the tribes that settled there, Lord. The Suburbanites. They started calling your flowers "weeds" and went to great lengths to kill them and replace them with grass. GOD : Grass? But, it's so boring. It's not colourful. It doesn't attract butterflies, birds and bees; only grubs and sod worms. It's sensitive to temperatures. Do these Suburbanites really want all that grass growing there? ST. FRANCIS : Apparently so, Lord. They go to great pains to grow it and keep it green. They begin each spring by fertilizing grass and poisoning any other plant that crops up in the lawn. GOD: The spring rains and warm weather probably make grass grow really fast.. That must make the Suburbanites happy. ST. FRANCIS : Apparently not, Lord. As soon as it grows a little, they cut it - sometimes twice a week. GOD : They cut it? Do they then bale it like hay? ST. FRANCIS: Not exactly, Lord. Most of them rake it up and put it in bags. GOD: They bag it? Why? Is it a cash crop? Do they sell it? ST. FRANCIS : No, Sir, just the opposite. They pay to throw it away. GOD : Now, let me get this straight. They fertilize grass so it will grow. And, when it does grow, they cut it off and pay to throw it away? ST. FRANCIS : Yes, Sir. GOD : These Suburbanites must be relieved in the summer when we cut back on the rain and turn up the heat. That surely slows the growth and saves them a lot of work. ST. FRANCIS: You aren't going to believe this, Lord. When the grass stops growing so fast, they drag out hoses and pay more money to water it, so they can continue to mow it and pay to get rid of it. GOD: What nonsense. At least they kept some of the trees. That was a sheer stroke of genius, if I do say so myself. The trees grow leaves in the spring to provide beauty and shade in the summer. In the autumn, they fall to the ground and form a natural blanket to keep moisture in the soil and protect the trees and bushes. It's a natural cycle of life. ST. FRANCIS : You better sit down, Lord. The Suburbanites have drawn a new circle. As soon as the leaves fall, they rake them into great piles and pay to have them hauled away. GOD : No! What do they do to protect the shrub and tree roots in the winter to keep the soil moist and loose? ST. FRANCIS : After throwing away the leaves, they go out and buy something which they call mulch. They haul it home and spread it around in place of the leaves. GOD: And where do they get this mulch? ST. FRANCIS : They cut down trees and grind them up to make the mulch. GOD : Enough! I don't want to think about this anymore. St. Catherine, you're in charge of the arts. What movie have you scheduled for us tonight? ST. CATHERINE: "Dumb and Dumber", Lord. It's a story about.... GOD: Never mind, I think I just heard the whole story from St. Francis.