Wednesday 17 June 2015

" A swarm in June "

"A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon."


This swarm was on an old damson tree in a garden where I was working.
Unusually, they stayed in the tree for most of the day.
The old farm house has a wild honey bee colony under the roof.


I was a Beekeeper many years ago, the original hives came from my grandfather.
Whilst a swarm of bees flying through the air can be a noisy and frighting sight to experience, swarming bees fill up with honey before they leave the hive and are not usually aggressive (they have no home to defend).


This old saying relates to the amount of honey that could be produced by a swarm of honey bees collected and re-homed in another hive.

A swarm in May is worth a load of hay;
A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon;
A swarm in July is not worth a fly.

Please visit Gardening Jules Here for more information about bees and other pollinators.


8 comments:

  1. I use to keep bees too and my bees used to swarm in June, but instead of a silver spoon I got aggro from people in the village who were convinced they were in mortal danger . Once the bees even stopped morning service when the congregation noticed a swarm delicately hanging from an angel' s wing in the church. It caused a panicked stampede. Obviously the ungrateful people in that village didn' t care about pollinators. I have moved away now. And given up the bees.

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  2. The problem today is people have such little knowledge about so many things to do with the country side. The thought of a swarm delicately hanging from an angel's wing made me smile.

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  3. Brian, I had no idea you were a former bee keeper, why did you stop? Lovely to have your hives passed down from your grandfather, did you help as a child? I can see your photos today on my iPad mini, but can't comment on that gadget, but can't see your photos on my laptop, where I can comment. Our rural tin can internet speed is a test of patience!

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    1. I reluctantly gave up the bees Julie when I was working a lot at weekends,and wished to spend more time with a growing young family. My brother and a friend have recently started beekeeping, I have occasionally been going along to have a look/help.

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    1. You need to find a friendly beekeeper, Pam. He/She may have a swarm to spare or if you put an old brood frame in your new hive it might attract a swarm looking for a new home.

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  5. They make such a neat job of it Brian. There are hives on my allotment site with a count of three swarms so far this June. They are great for pollinating the crops and the honey they produce is most tasty too.

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    1. Local honey has a taste and flavour all of its own. You are lucky Anna to have a local supply.

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