We’ve been back to check on how the Honeydale apiary is faring following its demolition by sheep. I took Jack, our work experience lad, to inspect the new nuc in the WBC hive and the big National hive. It was hot work during this heatwave, but very cheering.
The Nuc box now has a mated queen and she is laying well (if you remember we got this box started by spitting one of Chris' hives when the queen was still a larvae.) We'll locate and mark her at the next inspection.
The big white National hive is doing amazingly well. It has now filled the second super we added on the last inspection (pic above) and we have added a third for the bees to fill. (pic below) This is very encouraging considering we lost two hives over the cold winter and we were surprised to see it doing so well when the weather is now so hot and dry.
Plants need water to produce nectar, so the bees must have located plants nearby, with plenty of nectar flowing. We suspect this is thanks to the very deep-rooted sainfoin which we have growing in the field adjacent to the apiary, proving how great sainfoin is for bees and beekeepers. Not only does it produce amazing honey, but it’s very drought resistant.
