27 Nov 2017
Giant 'Honeycomb' beehive discovery
The discovery was made during Thrive’s wind farm open day in September which saw over 300 visitors and families gather to learn more about renewable energy and see wind turbines up close.
The day took an unusual turn when one visitor asked: ‘What’s that strange thing outside on the tree?’
Luckily, local ecologist Bernice Roberts, of the Landmark Practice, was on hand to advise. To their amazement they discovered a huge natural ‘honeycomb’ beehive spilling out of a bat box attached to a tree.
“The colony has extended below the bat box by some 500mm, comprising five or six substantial combs, which appeared to have anchored very firmly to the supporting tree. If left, the colony could very well die in damp and cold weather but, given the size and anchoring to the tree, it could not be moved to a suitable hive.”
In perfect timing, Bernice discovered, to her surprise, that the face painter at the open day was a local bee enthusiast who put her in touch with local natural beehive co-ordinators, Sal Pearson and Roger Wood.
It was a race against the clock to save the beehive as the weather had taken a turn for the worst.
“It’s unusual for honeybees to nest in such exposed positions but when they lack any alternatives, such as rotten tree trunks and spaces big enough for them to consider setting up home, they will make their home where they can. Since we had a dry spring, it was certainly an option surviving in the open. But damp will kill a colony faster than the cold and since the weather had turned wet and windy rapidly over that particular weekend, it was clear that some form of protection would be needed to give them a fighting chance to survive the winter.”
Mark Doughty, Principle Ecologist at Wessex Water, landowners of the site, co-ordinated saving the bees. It all worked out well as Mark has been connected to bees all his life, his father is a veteran beekeeper. He naturally stepped in to help save the colony.
“We had to get the structure up the tree and over the beehive. We put some scaffold in place under the hive, hauled it up, then took a break and the bees were placid all the way through. Hives can have a character all of their own and can be unpredictable, yet the honey bees let us work around them quite happily. We didn’t use any measures to pacify them, no smoker or anything, we just worked quietly and calmly. You can be sure they’ll let you know if they’re unhappy! A bucket of cow dung from the back of Sal’s car and straw was used to make a wadding and fill the gaps. We started trowling dung over the top and covered it all with a natural cement. It’s a substance the bees won’t reject and will accept. The case is now strapped to the tree. We came back couple of days later and could see the bees have access from behind.”