Local Apiary Visit

Local beekeeping associations often run apiary visits for their beekeepers (especially new ones) to see the apiaries of other local beekeepers, old hands who have established colonies and are willing to go through their hive checks with 20 keen newbies asking lots of questions. It's such a great way to see how someone else does it, what kit they have, how they use it, what tips they have and make some new friends. Today we saw three different queens, how to mark a queen, saw some queen cells too and got to ask many questions. The weather was glorious too. Back home, my new queen arrived in the post and so I caged her and gave her a frame of brood and a frame of stores in a new hive. I shall give them some feed tomorrow too and see if they have time to develop a decent size colony. I shall let you know how that 'Beta' colony develops...