Getting home at about 12.30pm, I was pleased to see the bees flying in and out of the nuc box, despite the windy conditions. With Mum assisting, I transferred the five frames of bees into the hive. They seemed very good tempered but absolutely bursting out of the seams of the nuc box – an awful lot of bees! I had a quick look but not very thoroughly as it was cold and very windy; no sign of the queen but apparently she is unmarked and unclipped – something we are to practise at the next beginners session on Saturday. Hopefully she was transferred in one piece! I put on a contact feeder of syrup and left them to settle into their new home.

My Hive

I went to check on the hive just a couple of hours later and was thrilled to see bees coming back into the hive laden with pollen; being buffeted by the wind, struggling to land but already working hard!

Homeward bound