Cliffe Castle Bee Blog 18
Well, the deed is done for another season. Steve and I collected the
bees and the Observation Hive from Cliffe Castle, yesterday evening
(Monday 7 September) and took them to our association apiary, where
they will stay over winter.
I went back to the apiary this morning, to transfer them into a normal
hive. As I went through the frames, one by one, I found what we have
been looking for over the past 3 weeks - eggs and larvae in cells! So, we
do have a new queen after all, and she has mated and is starting to lay.
If you look closely at the photos, you should be able to see the larvae.
They are white, glistening and clearly segmented. Let’s hope our new
queen hasn’t left it too late to begin to build up the colony for winter. This
is all knife edge stuff!
We’ll keep a close eye on how well they build up over the next few
weeks, and we may even transfer them into a double polynuc for some
extra warmth as the weather gets cooler. In a smaller, insulated,
container the bees use less energy and need to eat less nectar and
honey to keep warm.
Thanks to Adam (staff member at Cliffe Castle), for coming back to work
during the evening, to let us in and help carry the hive downstairs last
night. Thanks also to the other members of staff who have supported our
work with the bees throughout the year and are always interested in how
they are doing – Dave, Isaac, Martin, Sally Anne, Ellen and Ralph. Let’s
hear it for the Observation Hive Team members who have helped this
year, too: Steve, Lee, Anthony and Andy.
It’s been a real season of challenges, but that’s what makes beekeeping
such a fascinating hobby. Let’s see what next year brings!
Linda
