Today was lovely with a slight breeze and rising temperatures - ideal for the bees. They could fly after a week of wet weather. This means that the boys (drones) can fly to their mating areas and the virgin queens can be mated. The mating flights are the only flights a queen will make (other then swarming) and the first sign that she has been successfully mated will be eggs in the hive, laid in the middle of cells in the comb. Beautifully little grains of 'rice' signifying the survival of the colony.
I recently took some honey off the hives and Vicci and Mark have some for sale if you'd like to try it. It's primarily from Rape, with a texture like toffee and a taste that bursts on your tongue. It's too precious for cooking as it's little filtered and cold extracted so as many of the pollens and oils remain intact as possible - just as nature intended. Great in porridge or even by the spoon - yummy.
If you'd like to more about the bees, just let Vicci know as she intends to run some courses and come and share my passion for these wonderful, fascinating creatures. Otherwise, follow this blog on Thursdays after I've inspected my colonies on the Farm.
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