Well, a bit of excitement to see the first two beehives installed in the wood. They belong to Kris who runs a bee products shop in Brighton Open Market, selling bee products such as Royal Jelly, Bee Pollen, Propolis, Beeswax, and Honeygar (whatever that is, but I'll find out) and an extensive range of honey, most of which I've never heard of. All the honey is raw, 100% natural, unheated and unprocessed. Now, if successful , there'll be honey from Old Copse to add to his list. I think there'll be enough for the bees to feed on in the wood at the moment; lots of wild flowers, foxgloves, heather, alder-buckthorn, bramble, thistles and honeysuckle for a start.
Kris's beehives are placed in different locations in the Sussex area, both semi-urban and rural. They are unlike English beehives, looking more like small boxy filing cabinets. His are painted a sort of ochre colour, but in Poland where he comes from, they are often painted in bright stripes or traditional designs. During the two cold spells last February, many bees were lost because English beehives aren't insulated. Kris lost none, because his hives are very well insulated against cold weather, as they have to be in Poland.
We're looking forward to learning a bit about bee keeping, and extracting honey. There are lots of unusual beliefs around bees. One of the most well known is the custom of talking to, or 'telling of the bees' traditional in England and some other European countries. Bees would be told of important events in their keeper's lives, such as births, marriages, deaths, departures and returns in the household. If this was neglected a penalty would be paid such as the bees leaving the hive, stopping the production of honey, or dying. Kris told us this wasn't a custom in Poland, but we'll make sure the bees hear all our important news.
The hives have been placed in an open 'scallop' on the top track in the dappled shade. The entrance to the hive faces away from the track as it's not a good idea to get between the bees and their front door. I risked a quick look near dusk, and saw a group of bees gathered at one of the entrances, looking as if they were having a last gossip before joining the rest of the swarm inside at bedtime.
Here's what a nightjar sounds like:
Kris's beehives are placed in different locations in the Sussex area, both semi-urban and rural. They are unlike English beehives, looking more like small boxy filing cabinets. His are painted a sort of ochre colour, but in Poland where he comes from, they are often painted in bright stripes or traditional designs. During the two cold spells last February, many bees were lost because English beehives aren't insulated. Kris lost none, because his hives are very well insulated against cold weather, as they have to be in Poland.
We're looking forward to learning a bit about bee keeping, and extracting honey. There are lots of unusual beliefs around bees. One of the most well known is the custom of talking to, or 'telling of the bees' traditional in England and some other European countries. Bees would be told of important events in their keeper's lives, such as births, marriages, deaths, departures and returns in the household. If this was neglected a penalty would be paid such as the bees leaving the hive, stopping the production of honey, or dying. Kris told us this wasn't a custom in Poland, but we'll make sure the bees hear all our important news.
The hives have been placed in an open 'scallop' on the top track in the dappled shade. The entrance to the hive faces away from the track as it's not a good idea to get between the bees and their front door. I risked a quick look near dusk, and saw a group of bees gathered at one of the entrances, looking as if they were having a last gossip before joining the rest of the swarm inside at bedtime.
It was a real surprise and rather a thrill to hear, though not see, a nightjar at dusk recently. We haven't heard one at Old Copse before, but I immediately recognised the sound from my childhood. Wonderful. We, or rather, the deer stalkers have been trying hard to reduce the grey squirrel population and I think we're starting to see the results of this with increased birdsong in the wood.
They are very difficult to spot, as they are well-camouflaged - so here's a picture from Britannica.
Here's what a nightjar sounds like:
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