For Christmas 2022 my children bought us various items of builders clothing. My hard hat have prevented so many knocks I’d be very concussed without it and the steel toe capped boots have prevented several broken toes.
For Christmas 2023 we were given bee keeping suits and a bee hive. I’ve a feeling Sarah and Peter want to keep us busy.
We’ve attended a beginners course on bees and are a little less ignorant than previously. Bee facts:-
A bee has 4 wings, 5 eyes and 6 legs;
Bees only live for about 40 days;
An average hive has approximately 50,000 bees;
A hive produces about 11kg of honey a year;
Bees create honey by chewing and regurgitating nectar;
Bees fly approximately 125,000 miles to make 1 kg of honey. This is about 5 times around the equator;
Theory is all well and good. We start practical lessons at Fountains Abbey sometime soon. We are told the bee season is very late this year. We then hope to get bees from John. Who, according to his colleagues, has very nice bees. Whatever that means!
It is best to keep hives on flat ground. In preparation we removed one of the many sheds in the garden. Next we have to construct our hives and visit John for bees. Then the dressing up and fun begins. For Christmas, to reciprocate, my children will be getting honey and wax candles.
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