Bee Hive Theft!

Very sad and surprising to report that between Sunday afternoon and this afternoon, an attempt was made to steel our two bee hives.This is so sad after so much effort from our volunteer beekeeper Rod this year to set up and settle down the bees.

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The offenders evidently thought they were strong enough to carry a fully stocked bee hive through a woodland area in the dark – this was a mistake indeed as the main hive was found spread around the ground, our puzzled bees staying close by due to the chilly temperature. One spare hive has however disappeared completely.

On a positive note, Rod successfully re-assembled one hive in the hope that the all important queen bee made it through unscathed, this wasn’t an easy task as the bees, as you can imagine, weren’t best pleased by their autumn disturbance. We have now to wait until the spring to see if the colony as a whole survives.

We shall of course be reviewing future security of the hives, as it appears 10,000 sharp tailed bees isn’t deterrent enough! If you hear anything that could lead to the return of our stolen hive, or indeed have a spare, unused hive that we could use for next season, please do get in touch, we’d love to hear from you.

Gary Webb, Head of Landscape & Garden, Compton Verney. 01926 645535