Devon SSSI nature reserve and eco lodges - Maggie's Blog

8 June

Bees high in the trees...

We're pround to have gold level approval from the Devon Wildlife Trust. Click here for more on our environmental policies.

If I hadn't been hanging the washing out (yes, we still line dry despite the wind turbine) I would have missed this swarm of bees settling in an oak tree on the drive. Not the most convenient of places. Not the most convenient of times. Ian was busy fixing up a temporary trough for the cows on Popehouse Moor. But swarming bees don't wait, so all had to be abandoned, including father's day lunch.

It was a tricky one - right out on a limb. But at least they hadn't gone far from the apiary. Ian had shaking hands by the time he got back down - from wielding the loppers with one hand and an armpit, high in the tree. The bees stayed pretty docile though.

Now they're 're-convening' in a cardboard box on the ground while Ian thinks about where to put them next.