The bees are now on the site. Paul brought them on Tuesday 20th July, and we were given the chance to handle bees for the first time. We built the temporary hive ( I think the proper one is still being modified to have an observation window for the children to look through ). Once the hive was in position, Paul opened the box of bees. I wasn't expecting the sound and amount of activity. From a quiet box with a few bees crawling on the top, to a huge buzzing cloud! I must admit, my nerve went a little....

I run a gardening club at my children's school, and in January I was approached by one of the grandparents of one of the children about bringing bees to the school. I didn't think the head would go for it, but was pleasantly suprised when they agreed. We applied for a CASH grant, and won. Then the planning started. The school is situated right next to an allotment site, and there happened to be a very overgrown plot right opposite the school fence. We took the plot over and work began. The council...