bee girls

Jo and I are terribly keen to have a beehive on the allotments. We still have some obstacles to overcome, but we've been learning as much as we can over the past few months from experienced beekeepers and stacks of books:

Having soaked up the theory, we figured it was time for some practical experience. So on Sunday, we attended the first session of the Kingston Beekeepers' Fast Track Beginners Beekeeping Course.

We learned how to light a smoker, then donned borrowed bee suits and yellow washing-up gloves to observe a hive inspection:

We also learned how to make frames and clean the hives and equipment. Next week, after the morning inspection, we'll discuss swarm control, setting up a new hive, feeding, and extracting honey.

Jo is ahead of me as she's just ordered her own bee suit. I think we'd look far more fetching in Pushing Daisies Bee Girl outfits...

but I suppose safety and practicality must come first!