Some new guests have arrived in our garden: a small colony of perhaps 400-500 bees!
The queen is in the process of being replaced as the old one was no longer laying. A process called supercedure. But the new queen has yet to mate so the colony is not currently growing. My main concern is that the colony will die out before the new queen can lay sufficient eggs to hatch in time. But they are our first attempt at bee-keeping so having a smaller starter colony is easier this year. They arrived this Monday and yesterday was the first dry day for them to get out and about and orient themselves to their new surroundings. Bees are now no longer able to be self-sufficient due to disease and erosion of their natural habitat (good old human beings - another thing to be proud of) so they are very much dependent upon bee-keepers for their survival. It is nice to be trying to do something positive for these little creatures whose planet we share.
I am fascinated by the way they live for the sake of something greater than themselves ie the colony.
A guard bee stood on duty for the first two nights: it was wet and cold and he would willingly have given his life to sting predators venturing too close in order to protect the hive. I was moved by this. By his silent watch. By seeing him there, in exactly the same spot, the following morning.
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