It has been a very long time since any form of update occurred here! There is lots to show and indeed tell, about the meadow and the changes that have occurred in the more recent months.
Henry, a local beekeeper, brought down one of his hives of Honey Bees to settle on the Meadow with the hopes that they would build their home there. After some weeks he brought a second hive, complete with a colony, and since then they have only thrived in the tranquil environment.
With recent sightings of Kingfishers, Deer, Foxes and Barn Owls it has been nice to get to know the insect population a little more intimately. The new hives especially transform the landscape of the meadow.
They provide something cultivated and different. Not only do we have a haven of natural beauty, frequented by some rarely seen species of both animal and plant, but we also now have something new being created by the wonders of nature at work. Unfortunately however, bees will be bees! These hives are going to be relocated temporarily to give the neighbouring fishermen some respite from being stung.
Watching a beekeeper at work is fasincating.
They do not own the Bees in the hives, they merely do exactly as the name suggests and Keep them until the Bees decide otherwise. A Keeper cannot control them nor their movements. Maintaining the beehives is one of the most important parts of their jobs whether they are keeping Bees for a hobby or for commercial purposes. Removing dead insects, mice, other animals and checking for disease is vital to ensuring that the cycle is able to continue without threat. The protective suits are a must, as I found out the other day! Although they are well structured nothing can really prepare you for a swarm of angry honey bees.
Indeed, once a Bee has stung the suit, the venom released will send out an alarm attracting other Bees, and so until you are completely free of them, they won't leave you alone!
Bee Keepers can keep up to around 50,000 colonies. The typical structure of any one of these colonies is made up for three specific status of Bee. A colony consist of three castes of Bee....A Queen Bee, a large number of female worker Bees and a number of male drones.
Henry regularly tends to them and just a few short weeks ago we were presented with our first batch of Meadow Honey. Unlike refined Honey found in shops, it's the real deal - a proper honeycomb! Collecting honey is typically achieved by using smoke from a bee smoker to pacify the bees; this causes the bees to attempt to save the resources of the hive from a possible forest fire, and makes them far less aggressive. The honecomb is removed from the hive and the honey is extracted from that, often using a honey extractor.
Having something earthy and new, as a biproduct of owning the Meadow is both invigorating and amazing. This popular item, both in herbal remedies and cooking, was made practically in the air around one of the most peaceful places in this village. Incredible! There will be more updates soon, especially focusing on our animal visitors, nesting KingFishers and the arrival of our very own Shepherds Hut...
