Impressive honey harvest is the bees’ knees

David Crowe from Manchester & District Beekeepers Association provides an update on the bees at the Laudato Si Centre, Wardley Hall

As the year draws to a close, our bees here at the Laudato Si’ Centre are settling down for the winter after their impressive honey yield was proven to be a sweet success.

Despite challenging weather and the late development of flora, the Wardley bees managed to produce a remarkable 185lbs of honey from just three hives, an increase of 65lbs from the previous year.

According to the British Beekeepers Association, one hive could produce this amount (60lbs) or more in a good season, but on average would be expected to produce around 25lbs or more.

Full of surprises, the bees created a buzz earlier in the year after swarming at the base of a Sambucus Nigra Black Lace tree.

Staff and volunteers skilfully removed the bees and transferred them over to the apiary to put in their new home.

All the bees have now been put into winter configuration, with each hive having a store of at least 30lbs of honey to see them through the winter, and will of course be checked on during that time.

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