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The Biology Department
has an observation hive in a laboratory, so bee communication by the
waggle-dance can be interpreted. We also have five Langstroth hives outside. The Beekeepers Club members harvest honey and wax. They use the wax to make candles like this one. These 100% beeswax candles burn cleanly, without dripping or smoking, and release the smell of honey. |
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This is a photo of a corner of the observation hive. Note the queen bee with a dot of blue paint to make her easy to find. The colour also indicates her age. She is laying eggs in the empty cells. Most of the cells have a larva (baby bee) curled up in the bottom. The worker bees are feeding them. |
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Last year for the first time we made some sections of comb honey. Four of the sections in this frame are complete and a fifth almost finished. |
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On Saturdays, early in the year, honey is extracted. The wax on the frames is shaved off with uncapping forks. Once that has been done they are spun in a hand-cranked extractor to remove the honey. |
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The final products:
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Mixed floral creamed honey made from the local nectars, and bags of honey toffee. |
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Sections of comb honey were harvested
during last autumn, just before putting the hives down for the winter. The fifteen sections proved popular. This year we are using the new plastic frames with beeswax painted onto them. The bees should build their cells from this foundation, then fill them with honey. |
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