Blooming marvellous

2024 Cliffe Castle Bee Blog #3

Mike and I completed the first check on the Cliffe Castle colony on Monday 8 April. Not the best of days, cool and overcast when we started the task – of course, a few hours later it was sunny and warm!

All is going well. The bees have settled into their new home nicely. We saw our red queen and her four frames of brood. There is still plenty of space for her to lay and signs of some nectar and pollen on the frames.

The park is a great source of different forage (flowers, trees and shrubs) for the older bees to collect the nectar and pollen that the colony needs to survive and raise healthy young. At this time of the year, from the window by the hive, two glorious magnolia trees can be seen in full bloom.

See if you can spot them in the park. You can also see them from the Pavilion Café!

Linda