Buggrit.

There is a story that bees don't like like polystyrene hives, apparently spread by bee keepers who don't like them. The bees, of course, don't mind; while research shows that they prefer a container with a volume of about 40 litres, 10 metres from the ground with its entrance facing the morning sun. In practice, there is a housing shortage so they''ll take what ever's going that's within their flying range.

The problem that I, as a bee keeper, have is that I need to use a stainless steel hive tool – a sort of small crow bar – to break the seals that the bees make to maintain the structure of the hive and stop up the draughts. While, in the wrong hands it is possible to do significant damage to a wooden hive with the tool, it is almost impossible to avoid doing damage to a poly hive – particularly if you let a novice loose. The other implement that bee keepers use is the smoker, a sort of tin can with a fire inside; holding it by its body instead of the handle tends to be rather painful, putting it down on a wooden bench and it will leave a scorch mark, put it down on a poly hive and it starts heading for Australia. While I don't know who damaged this hive, I do know it didn't happen on my watch.

Both tools tend to be used both incorrectly and excessively so the president of the Scottish Bee Keepers' Association posted a video on Youtube about the correct usage of the hive tool (I must have a word with him about doing one about the smoker) for which he took some stick. I imagine expressions such as “Teaching Granny how to suck eggs” were used while the experienced bee keepers' who used them were blissfully unaware that they didn't know which end of the egg they should start from. Myself? I make very little use of them to the extend that I recently consulted one of the end of term examiners as to whether or not my two students would lose marks for doing as I do; I was pleased to learn that they would be o.k. They will, of course, have to explain their every move as they are working. In the meantime, I keep telling them that they are beginners and don't have to do it my way if they find it difficult, it's far more important that they are comfortable with their way of working.