Bait Hive.

The bait hive has been set up since the beginning of April. It has all the attributes that a wandering swarm of bees could want: a volume of 40 ltrs, a solid floor (as opposed to the open mesh ones currently preferred by bee keepers), an uncluttered interior, a dash of lemon grass perfume, and a quiet corner in dappled shade. However, it is not 30 feet off the ground as recommended by the American professor of apiculture, Tom Seeley. Bees haven’t read his book and, anyway, falling off a ladder with a box full of thousands of stingy insects is not advisable - despite the fact that swarms generally have a friendly disposition towards their keeper.

Yesterday, a few bees were quietly investigating this des res; this afternoon they arrived. Although I missed the spectacle this time, it is a sight well worth seeing. I haven’t disturbed them to see just how many of them are in there - or what they are doing; the queen will take a few weeks to go out, mate and start laying before I will consider they are sufficiently settled for me to satisfy my curiosity.