Going Like Hot Cakes

Remember this?

I placed the little bee chalet on one of our sunniest house walls three weeks ago hoping for some visitors. Today I was delighted to discover this:-

We have 25% occupancy already 

All of these tunnels now contain lots of eggs laid by a female solitary bee and then sealed in by her. The sealing material is fibrous - chewed up assorted vegetation and mud.

Apparently female eggs are laid at the far end of the tunnel along with some pollen for the bee larvae to eat when it hatches, and then sealed in before laying the next egg. The male eggs are laid at the entrance to the tunnel so that they emerge first in the spring. I have also discovered that I need to place the chalet somewhere dry during the autumn where they will be safe from rainy weather and not succumb to parasites or fungi. The young bees will stay dormant in the tunnels during the winter then leave in the spring.

Until I did a bit of research I did not realise that it was going to take a whole year for the cycle to be completed.

Next April the chalet tunnels will have to be cleaned out with a stiff brush ready for the process to begin again.

There is much more to this than I originally imagined, but our gardens should be the beneficiaries - lots more fruit, flowers, and vegetables.

UPDATE

Caught in the act sealing up tunnel No. 7

p.s Female bees hatch from fertilised eggs, males from unfertilised eggs

The final weekend

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Don't miss out on this years blue magic - make haste to your nearest bluebell woods

If you live in the UK and have not visited your local bluebell woods then this weekend could be your last chance to see the flowers this year. Time is running out - their colour is fading rapidly and seeds are already beginning to form within the flower heads.

Most bluebells are found in ancient woodlands where the rich habitat supports a whole host of species.

Some of the woodlands are even remnants of the original wildwood that covered Britain after the last Ice Age

In the Middle Ages, bowmen used bluebell sap to glue feathers onto arrows

Bluebell sap was also used to bind pages to the spines of books

The Victorians used the starch from crushed bluebells to stiffen the ruffs on their collars and sleeves

Legend tells us that a field of bluebells is intricately woven with fairy enchantments

Bees sometimes 'steal' nectar from bluebells. They bite a hole in the bottom of the bell and reach the nectar without pollinating the flower

Greek Honey

Walking into the community of Nikiti we were hit by the tangible perfume of honey drifting through the air. In this small town alone there are 150 beekeepers who manage over 85,000 bee colonies and produce 1200 tonnes of honey annually, an eighth of Greece's total production.

Honey is considered to be the worlds most ancient of sweeteners and has been used across the millennia. Aristole called it the nectar of the Gods. Greek mythology tells that Zeus was raised on honey.

The Greeks love honey - drizzled over their rich creamy yogurt, soaked in cakes, and pastries - loukamades (honey puff balls) melamacarano (honey macaroon cookies) sesame and honey bars.

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From ancient times honey has not only been used as a sweetener but as a natural beauty agent, and in some cultures used for its medicinal attributions. I did a post here on the medicinal wound healing qualities of Mānuka Honey.

Honey contains small amounts of a wide array of vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants too.

At the honey co-operative we were asked if we knew what these were? Which of course we did, they are so similar to our own bee skep. 

The Greek skeps appear to be made of cane then covered in clay whilst ours is made of straw woven together with cane.

A thought to ponder, a singleproduces a gram of honey every 9 - 12 days after she has visited about 30,000 - 40,000 flowers. No wonder we use the term "busy as a bee".

Mānuka Honey

What is Manuka Honey?  I have read that it has special properties, but what is Mānuka? Is it a place, a type of bee, and how does it differ from the honey produced by the bees that forage on my heather?

Mānuka is actually a plant that grows in New Zealand, related to the Australian 'tea tree' (melaleuca) a type of myrtle of which there are many species.

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 Leptospermum squarrosum

Early Australian settlers soaked the leaves of several of the species in boiling water to make a drink rich in Vitamin C. It is said that Captain Cook brewed tea from the Leptospermum to prevent scurvy amongst his crew.

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Mānuka - Leptospermum scoparium

The New Zealand Leptospermum scoparium is the only plant of the species that actually results in Mānuka honey. The plant has been successfully growing on the Tregothnan estate in Cornwall since the 1880s, but due to our very strange mild winter it is now already in flower when normally it would be June. Originally grown at Tregothnan for cut flowers, they are now producing their own Mānuka honey and have been doing so for the past 5 years.

Mānuka honey has been demonstrated to have antibacterial properties but there is no conclusive evidence that spreading the honey on your toast will give any medicinal benefits. However, following medical sterilisation i.e. medical grade honey, it has proven to be beneficial in healing wounds. 
In laboratory conditions when the honey is added to a dish of MRSA (bacterium staphylococcus aureusis) the Mānuka honey appears to be able to fight the super bug. As we know MRSA is an increasingly problematic hospital bug, being resistant to many of our antibiotics. 

Future research may increase the clinical use of medical mānuka honey, as doctors continue to be faced with the threat of diminishing effectiveness of antibiotic options.

Bee Skep Collection

In the wake of the storms the calm

The keenly awaited email arrived from Farmer David - 'bee skep is ready'. Saturday morning set off early to collect, stopping briefly in Cirencester - Roman town Corinium. The local parish church built in 1115 wearing a deep golden hue against blue skies in the morning sun. Called at Marks & Spencer to buy our 'Dine-in for Two' - £10. Fantastic value - more of that later.

On arriving in Farmer David's village there was plenty of evidence resulting from the recent rain storms. The River Churn which runs into the Thames is often little more than a trickle.

Here it had overflowed across the road now slowly receding. 

It is strange that we have never visited this pretty little village before which is no more than half an hour from our home. Definitely must return in the summer to explore it more - we have learnt there is a treasure in the church.

A wonderful espaliered tree growing against the wall of a house. I wonder how old it is? - I want to see it again when it is wearing its summer gown.

Farmer David and his wife are 'the salt of the earth' a couple whose family have farmed and lived in the same old stone farmhouse for generations, a pleasure to meet. As well as David's ancient bee skep craft they keep traditional Cotswold sheep, sell jars of honey, and make candles out of their own beeswax. Farmer David has made a wonderful job of the skep, we are delighted. Although made from straw it is exceedingly robust, very rigid, and so firm and strong that you could even sit on it!!!

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Cotswold sheep, nicknamed Cotswold Lions, are classed as a rare breed, and known for their lustrous, long curly locks. They are thought to have been introduced here by the Romans. The Romans were great makers and exporters of woollen cloth from the British Isles to the rest of their Empire. In its heyday the sheep did much to shape the landscape of the Cotswolds. In addition to the grazing of large flocks which has created the distinctive field systems surrounded by drystone walls, many of the beautiful churches and houses owe their existence to Cotswold sheep, albeit indirectly. Rich early medieval wool merchants made fortunes in the cloth trade. They gave money to build churches, and built themselves beautiful houses in the countryside and little towns, including Cirencester, mentioned at the beginning of this post.
More information on bee skeps here.

Santa's Little Gift

May be you remember a post here on wall bee boles which hold bee skeps? Following that post and knowing that there is a crisis amongst the bee population my thoughts turned to having a bee skep of my own. Online, a bee skep maker who lived nearby was located. This was fortunate as making skeps is an ancient craft practiced by only a few. I contacted him, decided on the size, and placed an order. I realised that I had the perfect location for one within our own garden. When we had our walls built I had asked the drystone expert to incorporate some alcoves with a view to putting pots of flowers or pieces of sculpture in them. 
So far the bee skep has not been completed - hopefully it will be here for the spring.

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Bee skeps shown in the mid 15th century Tacuinum sanitatis - a medieval handbook on health and wellbeing based on the 11th century Arab medical treatise by Ibn Butlan of Baghdad. This book contains a remarkable series of 130 coloured drawings. They are thought to have been done in Padua, Italy, by a group of artists in the circle of the eminent early renaissance painter, Andrea Mantegna. 

I was keen to give the solitary bees a home for 2014 and luckily Santa turned up trumps with a little wooden bee chalet. This will be hung in the alcove and transferred to one of our house walls once the bee skep has arrived.  I am sure that most of you know that a solitary bee has a completely different lifestyle to that of the honey bee. Keeping honey bees is a dedicated art as I have learnt at blue borage.

Solitary bees are just that, non swarming, they need a little place to call their own. The little chalet has separate individual compartments for them where they can build their bee cells and lay their eggs.
Welcome little bees, there are 24 self contained, brand new apartments, free, and waiting for you here. First come, first served.

Quiz

and the answer is..................

...........a Bee Shelter

This Bee Shelter is regarded by the International Bee Research Association as unique. Containing 28 bee boles built to house straw bee skeps, it dates to around 1850. 

Here are some more examples of Bee Boles

Bee Bole on a cottage wall behind Quebec House, NT in Kent courtesy Oast House archive

Lost Gardens of Heligan, Cornwall courtesy wikipedia

Kellie Castle garden, Fife, Scotland  courtesy Gwen and James Anderson

West Linton, Scotland courtesy Walter baxter

Thank you to everyone who gave it a go. It may be that this has introduced you to a new architectural feature to watch out for in the future!!!
Three people got it right:-
Marian from flowersandhome Linda at A Rich Tapestry and Darien, who doesn't seem to have a blog - well done.
Sorry I have had to switch word verification back on, I am being inundated from someone. Will give it another try in a couple of months and see if they have gone away!!!

Edifice quiz

This minor but very unique edifice is of international importance in its own sphere. It is hand carved out of Cotswold stone.

It sits just beyond the churchyard, do not be led astray it has nothing whatsoever to do with religion or death!!!

Comments which are correct will not be published until I show the answer - this will give everyone a chance at having a guess.
Answer on Saturday 9th February.