Busy busy bees.

I'm glad that second picture isn't the other way up. Reminds me of Cerne ... Are you making honey?

New hives or moving a swarm into new hives?

I ask because a work colleague has a swarm of bees on his kitchen roof. Bee keepers called in but my colleague is highly allergic to bees and is worried in case he is stung. He has his epi pens ready just in case and is staying out of the way!

A weekend queen rearing course, held quite locally. Mornings theory, afternoons practical.

Learning several new methods of increasing colonies and improving stock.

There are 3 beekeeping organisations in our county and we seem (for once!) to have picked the correct one to join.

Intelligent, knowedgeable people, with clear objectives and huge willingness to share, for free. People after our own hearts and way of doing things, so refreshing in today's world.

Some of the best teaching on any course we've ever been on, and none of them were teachers/lecturers (predominatley medics). Amusingly, we both wrote almost exactly the same (positive) comments on the feedback forms (totally independently).

After years of arrid braincells in our local beekeeping association, we seem to have stumbled upon food for thought and ideas to develop our own practice. Which is great.

delcatto - bees who have swarmed are actually at their calmest (and full of honey which they scoff before they leave, so it is quite hard for them to get their abdomens round to sting, even if they were threatened and mineded to). I suspect they are long-gone now as a roof is not a place for a permanet home.

That’s good to know BW. I’ll ask him how it went when I next see him.