To Catch a Swarm

Here we are up close and personal with a swarm of bees.

The swarm has only just emerged from one of the hives of my friend Janet, seen here.

It is about the size of a football. Very shortly the swarm will simply be shaken from the branch. The bees fall in to the straw skep held beneath. The skep is then upturned and the bees are left for a few hours just to settle down. They should be left in the shade on a hot day.

This evening this new colony of bees is destined to start doing porridge because they are going to be taken to Jurby to be the first colony of a teaching apiary at the Isle of Man Prison.