Bees Return

Tuesday, June 20th 2017

Today really started yesterday with us, the Reserve Managers, making a new exit/entrance tunnel for the Field Centre bee hive. This morning with the arrival of a new colony of bees we assembled the new clear tunnel which replaced the old propolis-coated perspex. Propolis, or bee glue, is a resinous mixture that honey bees produce by mixing saliva and beeswax with exudate gathered from tree buds, sap flows, or other botanical sources. It is used as a sealant for unwanted open spaces in the hive. Propolis is used for small gaps, while larger spaces are usually filled with beeswax. It is known to contain antibacterial substances.

With the display hive cleaned and ready to receive the new bees,....

.... Allister and Alison Shepherd, from the Richmond & District Beekeepers’ Association, arrived and opened the ‘nuc’ or small hive, to put the new bees into their new home.

The first thing to do was to find our new queen. She is the most important member of the hive, as mother to all the other bees. Without her the hive cannot produce the worker bees that do all the work in the hive including feeding the bee grubs, cleaning and guarding the hive, foraging for pollen and the production of honey.

 Finding the queen is not an easy task, so the frames were examined until she was found…

….placed in a plastic container and marked with a special paint, in this case yellow for ease of checking her.

With the queen marked she was put into our hive and as many of her bees placed with her on the brood and food store frames.

Now she was safely in the hive we blocked any exits and carried the heavy hive to its inside location in the Field Centre.

The bees that were flying around outside or on the remaining frames were placed near the hive entrance where they gradually made their way into the new home.

Fanning bees stood at the entrance wafting pheromones to the confused bees outside their new hive as if to say, all is OK and your queen is in here!

All that remained was to clear up….

....and watch the bees make their way in and continue with the work at hand.

Thank you to Allister and Alison for all their hard work and dedication to keeping bees here at Foxglove Covert. Also, thank you to all the hard working volunteers who carried out a multitude of other jobs today!


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Access to the Reserve: OPEN with limited access

Friday 20th September 2024 |

We are glad to announce that Foxglove Covert is reopening to the general public on Monday 7th October 2024.

A partial fix of the Foxglove Covert access gate has ensured that the safety features (sensors, emergency stop buttons) are now functional. This will allow safe access through the gate.

Unfortunately, the intercom and remote opening system by which the Guardroom normally opens the gate for entry and exit to the reserve is still inoperable. We do not have a timeframe for when this will be repaired.

Entry and exit to the reserve will therefore take place via key fobs which will be issued in exchange for photo ID (driving licence/passport) to visitors when they sign in at the Cambrai Lines front entrance. These fobs can be used to open the gate when entering and exiting the reserve. They must be returned to the front entrance pass office upon exiting the reserve.

Please note access will be limited by the number of fobs available. You may therefore be turned away at the pass office if all fobs are in use at that time. Please only collect one fob per visiting group and ensure you enter and exit the reserve together.

 

Please see below for organised events. Booking is essential, as attendees will be contacted with access arrangements ahead of the events.

If you are part of an organised group and would like to arrange a visit to the reserve, please contact reserve staff.



October Wildlife Wander

Thursday 10th October 2024 | 2pm-4pm

Join reserve staff for a guided walk around Foxglove Covert as the reserve begins to settle into autumn. Explore the reserve as tree leaves begin to change colour, migrating birds start to pass through, and fungi thrives throughout the reserve's grasslands and woodlands.

2pm-4pm.

Donation of £3 per person. Free for Friends of Foxglove. Booking essential.

Due to faults with the Foxglove Covert access gate, entry and exit will be coordinated and at set times. Booked attendees will be sent access arrangements via email prior to the event.



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