From A to Bee (18 page)

  A dawning thought looms as I write this. I have a lovely hive now but what happens when I get the bees as that is all I have – an empty box. Usually they need frames complete with wax foundation… Damn, none ordered yet. So I need to order some frames and foundation as soon as possible. Slight panic is setting in as I know they also come flat-packed and so I have to build them despite my mad travel schedule coming up. Oh dear, should have planned this a little better.

Of all the things in the world, I never ever expected this to happen. A volcano in Iceland has erupted with such force that a huge plume of ash is now floating around in the atmosphere. This has grounded almost every plane in Europe, which means that I am not travelling to Finland after all. Talking to my staff around Europe it is like a disaster movie. Take the journey to Finland from Estonia for example; everyone is jumping on boats, panicking because flights are not taking place. It sounds like pandemonium! Bees wouldn't panic so much, I am sure. A little volcanic ash wouldn't put them off.

  The good news, though, is that I will have time to add another coat of paint this evening. I had a little issue after last night's painting. When I went to bed last night, I thought the various parts of the hive were dry and so I stacked them up and put them away. When I came to pick them up today I realised they were all stuck together and it took me a while to split them apart. It was a full-on operation complete with the biggest kitchen knife I could find to penetrate the now dried Sadolin paint (apparently good for painting hives – clearly tough stuff!). If I was having this much trouble with the Sadolin, how much trouble would I have with the propolis? On second thoughts I should have used the hive tool here to prise apart the sections of hive but it completely slipped my mind.

  Thankfully there was no damage done and the second coat went on with no problems. I never ever thought I would hear myself saying that I was able to paint my beehive because an Icelandic volcano erupted but life always throws up those little experiences. What a wonderful coincidence and at least something good came of the event.

The volcano just keeps erupting. The cloud of ash still seems to want to make its way toward Europe rather than in any other direction. Flights are grounded still and therefore one great positive, since we live near Gatwick, is that there is no aeroplane noise! To top it all we also have the most beautiful weather as well – so much for April showers. Today I have clear blue skies and complete silence. Bliss.

  The second coat of paint on the beehive is looking good and therefore I am not sure I am going to do a third coat. Having had a minor panic about the frames and foundation the other day, I got on and tried to order them today. However, as ever, my timing was terrible. Anyone who is anyone in the beekeeping world is at the Spring Convention, near the National Beekeeping Centre situated in the Midlands. Basically, anyone learning the art of beekeeping should go as there are practical demonstrations, you can speak to the oracles of beekeeping first hand and basically be immersed in the topic. To top it all off, all the companies are there offering their wares cheaply. Why didn't I think of this before? Due to my trip to Finland I hadn't planned to go and so I didn't order tickets. Had I known that one of the most amazing natural disasters of modern times was about to occur I would have gone.

  Therefore, when calling companies about sending me some frames and foundation they were all out, or packing and too busy to deal with my order. I left a number of rambling messages but I also bet that when they get back next week they will have run out of everything after the convention. I wish I had thought of this sooner. This is a real pain.

  On a brighter note, and as a consequence of gaining a weekend – what a lovely feeling that is, incidentally – the need for a beekeeping purchase was felt. As a treat to myself I have got round to ordering that brightly coloured top-loading fridge freezer of a hive, and I feel pretty pleased about it. I cannot wait to compare and contrast.

  Will the new, fancy but expensive equipment trying to muscle its way into the marketplace be better than the older, more trusted equipment? It is quite funny in the beekeeping circles the cynicism given to the Omlet Beehaus. Beekeeping is a traditional pursuit and new-fangled technology is often viewed with scepticism. This is the same the world over if you consider it, however, whether you are talking about beehives or the invention of a new bit of technology in the car industry. I want to view it with fresh eyes because, after all, I have never used the traditional hive anyway, so I have no bias and therefore no expectation.

Today I spent some fantastic time on the allotment and in the garden. The free shed I got from next door has finally been transported up to the allotment with the help of the neighbours. I just have to build a base for it now and then start to build the thing!

  It is great to see the mangetout looking good and just starting their tangled journey up the pea sticks. The garlic plants are now about 10 inches high and the onions have finally started to get going. The Red Baron ones I planted only two weeks ago so they have some time to go. The shallots are just getting going now and the broad beans are thankfully no longer being eaten by pigeons. The pea sticks are acting as a fantastic deterrent for now.

  As for the garden, the early daffs are now dying and the others are in full flower. The plum blossom is sporadic, but just days away from complete bloom. The apple tree is getting there with some sprouting leaves. I have seen one head starting to emerge from the
Alliums
but none of the others seem to be going anywhere. I hear some beekeepers get two collections of honey; the first being from early blossom like this. I wonder if you can taste the blossom.

  Everything seems to be kicking into life. What a lovely time of year. I only hope that next year I will be able to appreciate the blossom while seeing my bees enjoying it too.

  Off on holiday tomorrow till Friday so I am going to put my beekeeping thoughts on hold for five days and enjoy the family. I cannot wait.

What a lovely week, our first family holiday with Sebastian talking and walking around, which made for its own enjoyment and challenges. We went to Center Parcs so he also got his first experience of being on a bike which he most certainly enjoyed – though it wasn't as fun for me as he kept walloping my back from his little kiddie seat attached to my own seat. It was as if I was his servant and not getting him around quick enough. The fact that after each wallop he burst out laughing made it worthwhile though and I was happy to oblige.

  Despite promising Jo that I wouldn't work on holiday, I did press upon her the urgency of ordering my frames and foundation. I called a company recommended to me as having the best foundation, which was KBS. What I really liked was the fact that he was happy to sell me the foundation but advised me to buy my frames elsewhere. I love that honesty. Having now ordered both I feel a lot happier.

  Arriving back from holiday this evening, I saw that both had landed on my doorstep so I am good to go; I just have to build them all now.

It is late and I still have the slight smell of smoke around me from my latest trip to the apiary; that smoky smell has already become synonymous with my weekly trips to the apiary, quite distinctive and not at all unpleasant. Today I got the chance to actually lift out a frame from a hive and have a real look around all on my own. It's quite amazing to think that in a few weeks' time, once I have my own bees, this will become second nature. For the time being, however, I still get a little bit nervous.

  It was a really nice session, with wonderful weather to enjoy the evening of hive investigation. All the groups split up and tend the same hive each week to see how it is getting on. Sadly our hive is not really doing very much and the poor queen is running the risk of being dethroned by her own daughters in favour of a new queen. She is simply not laying many eggs and so the hive is just not doing anything. Apparently the bees will pick up on this fact and want to replace her for the good of the colony. We shall wait with bated breath until next week…