Honey Bee colony news

The Honey Bees from the observation hive were the cause of excitement today. Jack noticed them congregating on the platform at the end of their tunnel. David, the beekeeper who tends to them, confirmed that a swarm was imminent.

The colony has survived the winter and is thriving however, there were far too many bees for the size of the frame. A new Queen cell had been laid and our old Queen bee (who is 3 years old) would have been off to pastures new. David and Peter from Richmondshire Beekeeping Society came to remove a third of the bees to free up some space and to re-mark the Queen bee. She now has a new dab of white paint.

Meanwhile, a huge van was loaded with bric-a-brac ready for the car boot sale at Bedale tomorrow. We aim to set our stall up at 6am, please come along and help if you wish! Alternatively, you could come later and treat yourself to a new hat stand or kitchen sink (well a bathroom one)!

The roof on our new workshop is now complete. The next step will be the removal of the scaffolding and the installation of windows and doors. We are looking forward to having a weather proof workshop to work in over the winter months.