Has anyone spotted one of our wonderful new bee swarm boxes? There are now three in Birchanger Wood, the first of 10 boxes that we are able to install thanks to funding from Uttlesford District Council and the skills of Philip Smart, a member of the Bishop’s Stortford Beekeepers Association.
The boxes provide a home to native honeybee colonies when they swarm, which they do when their colony outgrows its home.
Birchanger Wood, with its 69 acres of ancient native woodland, should be a real ‘des res’ for the bees, who in turn will support the pollination of our trees and other plants – including crops. This will be a real boon for biodiversity, and will also help to ensure the bees are in the best position to cope with the challenges of climate change.
The boxes are installed well above the ground and provide ideal conditions for these vital pollinators to thrive – and will hopefully mean they are less likely to swarm where they are not so welcome!
Our thanks to Philip for building and installing the boxes. They have been carefully constructed so that they will last for many years to come.
The design also allows the colonies to be inspected for disease – Philip will be checking in regularly and letting us know how things are going. We can’t wait to see how the bees settle in. Judging by the numbers of ‘scout’ bees that were taking a look just hours after they boxes went up, they should be very successful!
Our thanks again to Uttlesford District Council for funding this exciting project.
Birchanger Wood 