This time last year, Beekeepers across the country were gearing up ready for the new season, but just as things got underway, we, along with the rest of the country were thrown into lockdown! Covid-19 was spreading rapidly throughout populations across the globe, including ours, and the government instructed that everyone “stay home” to protect themselves and reduce the rate of transmission. Now, children were to be taught from home and adults were to work from home. Only “key workers” were allowed to leave their homes to attend work. As bee farmers, caring for livestock meant we were listed under key workers and so were able to continue work, but under social distancing guidelines.
Being the only key worker amongst my family and therefore already being at higher risk of exposure to the virus, I decided to volunteer as the shopper for my family’s households. This reduced my family’s risk of infection, but increased my own, so I decided to move out from my parents home and also encouraged my boss, Jo, not to attend work with me, but to shield himself. From home, Jo continued to carry out paper work, take orders for bees and bottle honey while I worked the bees in the field.
Not only was I going to be tackling the season without the guidance and help of Jo, but we were also expecting a new apprentice in April, who was intending to start as I finished my own training. As an ‘only just’ qualified bee farmer, the thought of managing the season along was a daunting, yet a somewhat exciting challenge.
With more colonies than we had ever managed before, I was hugely thankful to soon be accompanied by my boyfriend Lee, who was furloughed from his own job. As a part of my support bubble, we were able to work together and although Lee had very little knowledge or experience in bee keeping, his company and extra pair of hands were a huge aid!
Once again, Spring was beautifully conditioned for the bees and we were throwing on supers at a rate of knots! This continued right into swarming season which made for long and exhausting days. With fifthteen apiary sites and only two of us, we found ourselves working some twelve hours a day to keep up. To begin with, the excitement of a potentially record smashing Spring harvest, made the work load easier to cope with. However, the relentless sun was starting to have a negative affect on the season. The dry weather had now hindered the production of nectar within the local flora and we were beginning to experience a draught. Unable to forage, the bees began to eat through the honey stores causing the supers to decrease rapidly in weight. With the natural “June gap” approaching, we knew we would be unable to supply all of our colonies with syrup and so we had to sacrifice the honey for the sake of the live stock. This was a big disappointment for myself and Lee.
To top off the already challenging weeks, me and Lee were also having to endure the stress of shopping for four households during a pandemic. What with panic buyers leaving shelves bare, queues over thirty minutes long and the general concern for the situation, I can only imagine that most people can relate when I describe shopping as being one of the most stressful aspects of the pandemic!
Although tough, taking on the season without my colleagues, and shopping for my family were tasks I felt were my duty during such uncertain and scary times. Watching the news and seeing the highlights on social media, I was overwhelmed to see and hear about the millions of others volunteering across the country to support those around them. This included B.J.Sherriff, who were donating their material offcuts to be made into bags for NHS staff and also making and donating masks.
Continuing the season, we were now facing an unusually wet Summer. Again, with little opportunity to forage, this time due to rain, the bees continued to eat through the Spring crop. This series of unfortunate weather spells either side of the June gap, made for serious loss in honey potentials for the year. However, there was some relief when grants became available to businesses to aid them through the pandemic. We were delighted to receive a grant which enabled us to buy a second works vehicle which meant that Jo could now work on the field too, without having contact with myself and Lee. This enabled me to spend more time focussing on the Queen rearing side of the business, while Jo worked the honey sites. Shortly after, we were informed that the apprenticeships could go ahead and so we gained yet another pair of hands, in the form of our new employee, George!
Re-capping on the season, what appeared to be a great start to Spring, turned into a whirlwind of events and progressed into a challenging summer. Although honey harvests were poor, we were just about able to keep up with customer demands, using the remining honey stocks from the previous year. Our sales of Queens and nucleus were also encouraging, despite the limited time we had to produce them. Now with a full work force, we were able to prepare well for the winter and are hoping for a more positive season this year.
Not only are we hopeful for the upcoming bee season, but we also hope that the countries commitment to lockdown guidelines will make for a safer and happier year for all.
We would like to thank everyone who has done, and continue to do, their best to keep the population safe during the pandemic.
On a side note, I now realise that wearing a full Apiarist bee suit, along with a mask, gloves and boots can be quite alarming to the public who are fearing a deadly virus. I must admit, we did look like something out of an apocalyptic movie scene!!
