Smashing bee team today... our experienced children and 'new-bees' working together in the apiary. One group learning about where bees live... hands on practicals with the hives and equipment we use as bee keepers. The experienced children & some 'new-bees' working together in the apiary 'hefting' the hives to check the weight, to ensure they have enough stores of honey to see them through the hard Cumbrian Winter, (difficult to imagine on a sunny day!) They children supported the new-bees wonderfully, helping them fill the feeders with sugar syrup.   
Soon syrup feeding will be finished, as the weather needs to be warm enough for the bees to have time to reduce the syrup's water content, to ensure it stores well over winter.
One of our hives is very light on stores... a bit of a worry at this time, we don't know why, but they 'refuse' to take any syrup at all, ignoring it for the last month... so we decided to give them some fondant, (solid food) and a pollen substitute, to help the winter bees be fit enough to get through until spring.... Amazingly, they have eaten the lot in less than a week!!  Maybe they don't like syrup?!  We will keep a close eye on this little colony to make sure they are ok.

Hurrah for the first 'new' bee team of the new school year... and a change for this year!
We are delighted to not only welcome back some of our past 'Qualified Beekeepers' from last year, but also some of our now past pupils who have moved on, but love our bees so much, they want to come back to help and support our 'new-bees'
A busy club tonight, with our advanced group making sugar syrup and learning all about how we are going to prepare our hives for the winter, (more of that to come) And the 'new-bees' investigating 'what exactly IS a bee' and why are they so important... Such enthusiasm and brilliant questions, it is going to 'bee' an amazing half term!

One of our bee team placing the Apiguard trays on the hives to treat the bees for Varroa mites. The treatment will stay on for 6 weeks in total, ensuring our bees are in the best of health before winter sets in. The treatment is based on Thymol, a natural substance, and so very gentle and safe for the bees. As part of their normal 'hive cleaning behaviour' the bees walk through the Apiguard crystals, removing them from the hive... as they do so the crystals are spread throughout the hive killing the Varroa mites. 

The Bee Team adults are so pleased it is September... that means we get our young beekeepers back to help in the hives! Lots to do in the Autumn, so we can't wait to get busy with our new bee team next week! 
Mrs Harper Mrs Gorst and I have been busy over the summer keeping an eye on the hives, making sure the bees had enough room to store the nectar and that they continue to be healthy and strong colonies.  We have also started our 'winter feeding' which ensures our bees have enough stores, (food) to get them through the long Cumbrian winter.

We have also started the autumn treatment against the dreaded Varroa mite!   Placing trays of a natural substance in the hives, which kill the mites... vital at this time of the year, as bees born now will be our 'winter bees' living a lot longer than our hard working summer bees, who only last the length of the summer holidays... 6 weeks!  The winter bees will look after the Queen and keep the colony going all over the winter, so it is vital they are well fed and disease free.