SUMMER came late to Cold Aston this year, as it probably did for many you. One of the first warm days here caused great excitement, when a football-sized clump of honeybees took up residence on our buddleia one afternoon. Fortunately, we have two beekeepers in our village and they came to our rescue. They donned their bee suits and began to snip away at my buddleia and, very slowly and gently, lowered the teardrop-shaped ball of bees into a brood box, also known as a nuc.
Smoke, which subdues the bees, was used sparingly, and every manoeuvre was very slow and steady. Who knows, perhaps the smoke calms beekeepers, too? We couldn’t see the queen bee, because she was in the middle of the cluster, but she was probably a newly emerged virgin queen. We also learnt that our football-sized clump wasn’t a prime swarm. A prime swarm, apparently, contains some 20,00030,000 bees, and it occurs when one already mated queen leaves with half the workers.
Denne historien er fra August 07, 2021-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
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Denne historien er fra August 07, 2021-utgaven av Amateur Gardening.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
To dig or not to dig?
Should we be carrying out a full dig on plots now? Bob considers the pros and cons of the 'autumn dig' debate
The box ball blues
As if his beleaguered box hadn't already taken a beating, Toby now has to deal with some hungry box caterpillars
Save your own seeds
Masterclass on: seed saving
Strange sightings
Three unusual insects turn up in Val's garden in one day
A bolt from the blue!
Cornflowers are perfect for garden and vase
Winter moth prevention
Ruth shows you how to avoid maggoty tree fruits
Create a winter container
There are as many options as in summer
Lightweight gardening tools
AS well as being good for our mental health, gardening is also great exercise.
Autumn price round-up
AG finds better bargains in lesser-known brands
Rudbeckias
Rudbeckias are ideal for sunny summer patios and borders, with some able to survive our coldest winters