Bees + Apple Blossom = Apples + Honey!

It's worth giving a thought to the bees out there every so often, pollinating our food crops, busily going about their own business for the good of the colony. We often hear on the news that our bees are at threat and we like to promote natural beekeeping to anyone that wants to learn more during their stay with us. 

After a wet April our beehive is simply humming once again, with thousands of bees bringing in pollen for the young brood and nectar for their winter stores. 

We think our bees have it pretty good here - a huge variety of forage, they're loving the fruit blossom at the moment (especially the apples and pears - see photo). But with such a rich local habitat  - mature trees, diverse hedgerows and a wide range of annual and perennial borders there is something for any bee taste bud! Most importantly, we are fortunate to be in a livestock rich area, which means less agricultural spays and fewer neonicotinoides, a damaging pesticide that effects the nervous system in bees and other insects.

The bees live in an un-conventional 'Top-Bar' hive. It offers a more natural home for the bees who can build their own comb (no foundation), and the queen is not excluded from any part of the hive. We open the hive as little as possible, but when it is open they suffer much less disturbance - and consequently show little aggression, to the extent that we never use a smoker.  

We hope you enjoy seeing your local bees out and about this spring and summer.