Sinacalia tangutica

 This is a delightful yellow number flowering now down by the Wilderness. When this comes into flower it is completely covered in honeybees, they seem to love it! It is positioned a matter of metres (as the bee flies) from the hives, on the opposite side of the Long Walk. Until recently this gem was classed as Senecio,but the boffins have been up to their usual jiggery-pokery, changing the name no sooner than you’ve got it lodged in the old grey matter (cf. Datura). It seems most plants in that genus are enjoyed by bees and other insects, which may explain the popularity of this chap amongst the honeybee community. Mrs Chatto describes it as such; “Invasive, but where space permits, one of the pleasures of autumn.”

One of my ladies at the nosebag

Early morning Bee Inspection

Beekeeping is a truly splendid pastime, and taking on the bees at Hidcote has been one of the highlights of my time here! This is now my second season keeping bees and although I certainly haven’t mastered this delicate art form just yet, both years have been incredibly educational with highs and lows along the way. Similar to gardening it takes time to build up a knowledge base and get a handle on the subject matter, only here you have bees crawling over your head while you’re trying to work and think! I genuinely believe this is something I will do for the rest of my life, not only is it so rewarding to deal with these fascinating insects but it coincides so neatly with the career choice I’ve made.

An inspection starts by lighting the smoker, which is used to blast smoke into the hive just prior to opening it up! The bees, silly sausages, think a forest fire has erupted and the message goes around to abandon ship! They immediately dash off and have a long drink of honey, filling themselves up ahead of the emergency escape they expect to make. This inadvertently makes them unable to sting, as they’re so full they cannot bend their bodies to direct an attack! And mellow bees are extremely desirable as you are about to start poking about inside their home.

This grill is the queen excluder, which prevents her majesty from moving about the hive. She has a much larger body due to all the eggs she is carrying, so is unable to fit through these gaps! The much slimmer worker bees (her children) can squeeze through and move about their home at will. If you imagine the hive has two storeys, the ground floor is the brood chamber where the queen is free to roam and lay her eggs. The excluder prevents her going upstairs to the honey supers, and laying eggs where the workers are diligently storing precious honey. This honey can then be removed by the beekeeper, in the safe knowledge that the product is pure and free from eggs or baby bees.

Inspecting the frames! Each frame is made up of cells, into which either honey is stored or eggs are laid. Throughout the season you have to keep an eye on this, checking the queen is laying well and enough supplies of honey are being built up.

The white capped cells on the right is stored honey, the darker capped cells on the left contain eggs.

Unfortunately the bees come under attack from wasps and hornets throughout the summer months, who turn up and attempt to steal honey and young bees! Entire hives can be destroyed during these sieges, so wasp traps must be placed out by the hives in a bid to give the bees a sporting chance! Here I’m successfully utilising an old jar containing some jam diluted in water; the thieves clamber in through the small hole in the lid but then are unable to find their way back out.