Another busy week with hive inspections and some installations being the order of the day. With decent temperatures evident everyday this week, all the colonies will have benefited, at last from some summer sun.
The week started in an educational way. I spoke briefly at Notting Hill Prep school. It was fun to do and the children seemed to take an interest. Lots of questions from the floor and I issued the whole school including teachers with coloured ribbons. Out of the 250 in assembly, 246 had yellow ribbons (indicating female/girl bees), 4 boys had green ribbons (indicating the drones/males bees) and one lucky person, which obviously had to be the Headmistress had a big fluffy ball (indicating she was the queen). This lively participation caused much merryment. It all went well and I set the school some tasks to design their own honey labels and also to come up with a name for their own queen in their hive. Some photos below, kindly taken by Michelle, who is the chair of the schools eco committee and has been brilliant in driving this through. I will give regular updates on the schools colony.
Yellow ribbons indicating female bees.
Pupils viewing brood frames with wax foundation.
Inspections so far of most of the hives has shown the colonies expanding and all the queens seem to be happy and laying and no problems as such other than having to feed left right and centre.
Towards the end of the week, one of our most exciting clients, The Aveda Institute in Covent Garden, http://www.aveda.co.uk/findalocation/index.tmpl took delivery of their two hives for the staff roof terrace. Gemma at Aveda has steered this through and as you will see in the photos below, the two hives look very at home in their new urban landscape. Urban hives do tremendously well and the fact they are in the hubub of central London, only proves beneficial and from experience, the yields and quality of honey are amongst the best. If one considers the care and attention people put into planting on their own little plots of paradise in a city environment, it is not that suprising. Also, if you consider, Hyde Park, St James Park, Regents Park and Green Park and the planting that takes place within them, it again should not be hard to understand why central London colonies thrive. Avedas staff roof terrace is a wonderful location and the workers in the nearby offices who go into work tomorrow morning will no doubt enjoy the view of their new neighbours. Two of those neighbours watched on as I installed the bees on Friday evening. I talked to them after I had finished and the two London School of Economics students were thrilled and fascinated. It's wonderfully refreshing when you're half expecting resistance, to actually receive a huge thumbs up.
Aveda Institute Hive 1
Aveda Institute Hive 2.
The final installation of the week was in the gorgeous Buckinghamshire village of Cuddington, where Gerald and his wife Clicqout welcomed me and their hives with warmth and excitement. One of the most beautiful gardens I have ever seen. A mini Capability Brown like garden all designed and cared for by Clicqout. I made the mistake of driving there in my 34 year old Mk3 open Land Rover. With a top speed of 40mph, it certainly felt like I had driven a lot further. However, I left with a punnet of beautiful home grown strawberries, most of which had been devoured by the time I got back to the "Smoke". The blankets on loan were much appreciated, thank you both.
For those of you lucky enough to have wandered round the streets of London over the last few weeks, you will have noticed all the elephants dotted around. They have looked marvellous, all in their chosen surroundings. I did wonder on Monday where they had all gone and it was with great delight that I happened to be driving home from the Aveda installation on Friday night, when along the Chelsea Embankment, I discovered them all, herded onto the site of the recent Chelsea Flower show, at the Royal Hospital. I stopped and took some photos. The next day HBAH friend Maibe went to see them close up and kindly sent us her photos. They looked magnificent. To find out why the elephants have been in London, go and have a look at http://www.elephantparadelondon.org/ . Sadly I don't think we can afford to bid for one in auction next week. Also I think it was a chance missed to highlight the plight of the honeybee, possibly something for the future, whereby HBAH would donate a years free service in return for the design on the elephant.........more thought needed.
Elephants on Parade.
Elephants getting a hosing down ready for next day inspection.
Hoping for another fine week of weather ahead, more feeding and inspections a plenty. I think the England world cup team should be made to walk home from South Africa and, we should build a naughty step on the spare plinth in Trafalgar Square, where they should all sit for the rest of the summer, manager included. A honey bee colony survives and exists through pure team work and creating a perfect community. If bees worked as individuals, with egos, and a lack of co-ordination and communication with their fellow players, I guess they too wouldn't bring home the prize we all cherish. Well done to the cricket XI though.
Have a good week.
