Our lovely hosts, Stan and Dani have been beekeeping for a number of years - both here in Wales and in the Lakes District.
It was such a great opportunity for the kids to learn a little about bees and how to keep them, as they went about their normal tasks getting ready for Spring time.
Dani was busy making frames for a new hive - so she took the time to explain to the kids how they were made, why, a little history ( which they had to then back up with some research for their own blogs) as well as some demos on the different stages of the bees life and honey making process.
Below is a frame which used to hold brood - the bees. The discolouration is frmo the coocoon type cell they live in before they emerge.
and here is one I prepared earlier.. a cleaned out comb - no honey
Dani has a honey store at markets and uses this honeycombe on her table. Its full of honey and is dripping with it..
This is Dani in her sunny little pozzi in the sun making frames. Machinery makes the moulds by pressing them out in all sizes. One of these frames, when filled with honey weighs 2 and half pounds ( about a KG)
I also learnt that the brooding gestation period for bees was different depending on what status they were - 21 days for a worker 23 for a drone and 16 for a queen... and the HIVE decides on who is going to be Queen... not her.. they dispose of her once she has stopped being fertile...
There were a number o things I hadn't known as well... so prepared to be 'taught' as we were... A certain Mr Langstroth invented to movable frames in 1786 in order for bee keepers to look at the honey and bees safely. Before this, hey ha straw dome like hives ( see below picture) where the bees used to build wild combs from the top down. The bee keepers would have to kill he bees to see the honey or check on them.
Anyway - lots of info collected and a wonderful afternoon for the kids with hands on experiences.
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