Beehives No. 3...

Further to our previous post: Bees, Boles and Bears, Beehives 1 and Beehives 2, this post is to share an exciting new form of beehive which is minimally invasive on bees at the time of harvest, and so much easier to harvest from. No more masks and spaceman suits. The modern apiarist is about to change...

First though, we had planned to make some ornamental beehives for the potager garden or orchard. The beehives we previously had on the farm have moved on, but we still want to have honey bees as they need protection, and we need them to pollinate all our fruits trees and provide our guests local honey.   We had decided to essentially build a more decorative version of the standard Langstroth hive that most people would be familiar with.

I came across these photos of some ornamental hives that have been built for the rooftop of Fortnum and Mason in the middle of Piccadilly which I liked and planned to model our new hives on....

I love the design of their hives, as well as that F&M colour. The shape reminds me of a diagram I found of an antique beehive...

The langstroth hive has been the standard type of hive for eaons. Although they are better for a colony than a woven skep, which can only be harvested with the compete destruction of the hive, their time has come to an end...

The flow frame is perfect for novice apiarists like ourselves because of the ease with which you can harvest the honey.

One just inserts a tube and cranks a lever and away it flows...

Here is a video clip explaining how this new system works. We will definitely be supporting Flow Hives.

We plan to have the best of both worlds - we will buy three complete flow hives and then add ornamental woodwork to the outside, such as creating a little front porch over the main door; and paint them a similar colour to the F&M hives (actually a duck egg blue to match the trellis obelisks in the potager).

We already have a friend who can get us a swarm of bees.

Now we just need to decide where at Willowbrook to make our bee garden. Perhaps Spencer's Corner, or Little Hollows?

Bees, Boles and Bears...

Our Bees are back again, which has inspired me to write a small, random post for my friend D.R.L. - a bear of very little brains.

Some illumination from manuscripts about bees and beekeeping...

Catching a swarm...

Then releasing them into a hive...

Letting them do their thing....

And then harvesting their honey...

Whilst trying not to get stung...

Above and Below courtesy of The Graphics Fairy

Someone else who likes honey...

A bear of little brains, but a great friend....

Bees at Willowbrook Park

Further to our previous post Bees and Hives, we now have bees at Willowbrook Park!. We were approached by a lovely couple who make honey locally, and asked whether we would 'winter' their bee hives in the park. We are hoping to have their bees in the park permanently, and we hope to offer their honey in our country store, given the obvious Willowbrook connection.

Above: The people who own the hives
Below: The hives in situ

Bees and Hives...

Bees traditionally were kept in a variety of houses. The quintessential beehive shaped ones were known as 'skeps'.

They were a very inefficient way of looking after honey bees, as one had to destroy the skep and scatter the colony to get the honey out.

Skeps are still good if you want to promote pollination in your garden and provide a home for bees without wanting the honey. They also make nice garden ornaments.

They can be made from rope, or more traditionally, straw. I am going to have a go at making some for around Willowbrook, and also to sell in our park store.

They were kept in small holes in a walled garden. The holes or alcoves were known as boles (see below)

The modern moveable beehive was only invented in 1851.

Hopefully tour hives will atract a lot of honey bees, which are in decline in New Zealand thanks to the Varroa mite.