The Bees are back in town
We welcomed bees and beekeeping back to Meadow Orchard in Spring ’23 and are happy to say that bees (and beekeepers) are really flourishing! With the cherry and plum trees blossoming recently we are delighted to be rewarded by the sight of emerging bees foraging in the warm spring sunshine after they had been balled up inside their hives over winter.
Our Stunning Chimney Hive
Our apiary is located towards the west end of the site, in a beautiful spot amongst our Oak Coppice and in between the Meadow and our Meditation Glade. The beehives are gated, enclosed by a dead hedge for habitat and surrounded by newly planted native hedging. The hive stand and ‘chimney’ are beautifully made by our beekeepers and carved and painted with a hexagonal design, to mimic the honeycomb pattern of the bees cells! The apiary is a beautiful spot to observe the bees or just spend a moment enjoying the stillness and listening to the bees and the birds in the trees.
Beekeeping activities this Month
One of our Green Woodpeckers was showing some interest in our traditional basket weave straw skep hive. As a precaution the beekeepers have now relocated the comb onto frames in a wooden nucleus hive. The bees have already started to repair the comb, draw out the wax and securely fix it to the new frame!
Moving comb from our woven straw skep into a wooden hive to protect from our Green Woodpeckers!
It’s always a great joy to visit the bees at Meadow Orchard, especially at this time of year as they herald the start of Spring and warmer weather too! There is something magical about simply watching the bees rise up into blue to forage and then returning to the hives laden with pollen!
The beekeepers have some amazing plans and it’s such a delight sharing their combined knowledge and passion for these fascinating little creatures.
Email hello@beeconnection.org for more details.
https://beeconnection.co.uk/
Meadow Orchard Project 
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