You are very welcome to Brookfield Farm Hiveshare. This is a first update on your hive. Anyquestionson Hiveshare and how it works? Or email ailbhe@brookfield.farm.
You might like to know about the hives in winter. The bees in this low season are very different from their summer buzz, they need care and checking for health and happiness. Right now the bees are quietly waiting in their frames for the spring to return. We picked a bright, warm January day to open the hives to see how they were getting on, and to show you what's happening.
At Brookfield Farm we do not feed our bees sugar so we regularly check that the bees have enough honey and pollen stored to feed the hive during the winter - normally about 45 kg of honey. If a hive does not have enough honey stored away then we provide honey from neighbouring hives.
Winter care
Each year we prepare our colonies for winter and help to ready our bees for the most challenging and difficult time of the year for any beehive.
Bees are cold-blooded, so cluster to stay alive. They generate heat by flexing their wing muscles and take turns being on the outside of the ball. The queen is in the middle of the cluster, protected at all costs by worker bees surrounding her. She will not leave this cluster for several months. If their temperature falls below 6C the bees will die.
During the course of the winter the bee cluster will slowly move around the hive and consume the honey stores. During our winter inspections one of the main things we look out for is that there are always enough honey stores near the cluster - if the bees become disconnected from their foodstore they will starve as the cluster is not able to move quickly enough to bridge a gap.
Winter hive cluster
As the temperature begins to drop the bees become less active and will begin to cluster to preserve heat. These bees are doing well.
Bees are very good housekeepers and like to keep their hive clean. On warmer winter days when the temperature rises above 14C they will quickly fly out to get water and begin to clean the hive.
A friendly bee!
This little bee was happy to crawl around on my glove as we checked her hive.
Morwenna, December 2014 says about Brookfield Farm lamb:
'Delicious! Highly recommend it, .... slow roast lamb shoulder with thyme and fennel seeds ... kids demolish all the chops, well worth it.'
Claire, Winner of the Brookfield Farm 'Win a lamb for Christmas' competition says:
'Succulent and delicious.. conveniently delivered to the door'
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