OUR BEGINNINGS WERE......a lovely surprise!
After looking for a small piece of land to keep bees on, the above three hives were found hiding in the undergrowth on the plot, as the sale was going through.
Two of the home-made hives had live colonies of bees living in them, so the first task was to persuade them into weatherproof accommodation. No small task when working with independent thinking, Cornish bees.
Two of the home-made hives had live colonies of bees living in them, so the first task was to persuade them into weatherproof accommodation. No small task when working with independent thinking, Cornish bees.
Their original hives were rotting due to sitting on the ground and pieces broke off each time they were touched. The first step was to get them off the floor and give them some more space before their hives disintegrated.
Then move them to a hive stand with the new, weathertight, spacious, lovingly prepared box below.....that the bees used as a hall to get to their hive but chose not to move into.
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Then a re-arrange, as (human) bee wisdom says bees like to move upwards into a new space, rather than downwards. The bees agreed to fill the new boxes with honey, but, understandably, remain living on their wild comb. |
Any finally, after much bee coaxing, human counselling and negotiations, both colonies accepted their new abodes before their original hives totally disintegrated.