The bees are back in town

After an absence from the farm of over a year we finally have some more bees. After losing our previous colonies for various reasons, a kindly local beekeeper has given us a "nuc" to start us off again.

They have settled in already and within a few hours they had mentally mapped the new apiary site and were bringing in pollen for the brood.

We have been told that the river valley where New Mills Farm is located is quite tough for the bees, probably because of the dampness over winter. For this reason we have relocated the apiary to a slightly higher area with better protection from the driving rain that comes with the Westerly weather.

Over the next day or so we will transfer the bees to their new hive and give them a feed of sugar syrup. This will give them the energy they need to start drawing out the new wax combs.