From A to Bee(22)

It entailed a nice man giving a demonstration on using the basic elements of woodwork to put together a frame for the bees to lay the honeycomb on. Basically you need some wood, which looked like balsa wood, and eleven small nails which hold it all together. You also need strips of wax as well, which already has some hexagon shapes to encourage the bees (though without the wax they would still make exactly the same shape and size!). It felt a little like The Generation Game as he was able to build this frame in a little over four minutes and then said 'Over to you'! There we were, all keen and eager to compete for the cuddly toy, gathering the wood, nails and hammers to have a go.



I did the first one in about ten minutes and felt pretty confident about it but then, on the second, realised that one vital tool was missing from my repertoire – pliers! I blithely nailed the wrong section and then got in a complete mess. I desperately needed pliers to pull out the wrongly placed and protruding nails so I could start again. As I was looking at the mess, I realised that I had also managed to put my hammer right through the wax and therefore left a gaping hole in the middle. Not all was lost however, as apparently the bees would fill in the gap with their own design. Amazing; but sadly I didn't think I would get any further in my quest for the cuddly toy. The other contestants just carried on unperturbed.



It was quite a chilly morning, and they have been for the last week despite fantastically glorious sunshine throughout the day, but you could see a few bees flying around. The site for this frame-building day was just outside the Reigate Beekeepers' apiary, a fenced-off area containing about ten hives. Every time the sun made an appearance, I spotted a few of them flying down to areas with water – I suppose they were gathering some up to take back to the hive – a lovely sight.



Towards the end of the frame-building it became evident that something I was wholly unprepared for was about to happen. It was suggested that we might actually pop into the apiary and see if the bees were all right after their long winter of cuddling up together to keep warm. I was completely taken aback as I thought today only my woodworking skills would be tested, not my comfort levels, being surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of bees. On reflection I am quite glad that I didn't know beforehand as I would have been quite nervous.



Anyway, in for a penny, in for a pound… I saw most of the others had gone to get their bee suits. By that time there was only a small and medium left and they were all jackets, not the full-on body armour protection I had expected to be wearing. Being a not-so-slim 6 foot 5 inches tall, this wouldn't be the best start but everyone was already getting going. Richard, someone I had met at the training course back before Christmas, helped me with the veil which felt distinctly weird to have around my face, and then I was ready to go.



I looked a complete idiot wearing the medium-sized suit and I felt slightly uncomfortable given the amount of flesh on show, especially the large expanse of back that was left exposed by my suit riding up. I had heard that bees love to land and then walk upwards into dark areas – that was all I needed with a sizeable square footage of rump back skin available for them. I was also wearing jeans which I have heard is a complete no-no when it comes to bees as they just don't seem to like them. Let me assure you that bees do not insist on a dress code, at least I hope they don't, but I hear that the fabric of the jeans is not great for the legs of the bees and they can easily get caught which is not good for either party.



I was expecting to be given some gloves to protect my digits from attack but all I was given was some of those membrane thin ones akin to what surgeons wear. I couldn't quite believe that these would give me any protection and my hands felt very exposed, but these give you far more control than thick leather gloves, which apparently is far better for the bees.



If truth be told, I felt a little like a teenager given a jumper knitted by their gran for Christmas that was based on a design for a five-year-old, but too polite to take it off.



I was put in the same group as Richard, and we were introduced to our mentors, Tom and Maggie. As we were marched in like ants, I quickly took Maggie to one side, who looked less likely to judge than Tom, and subtly suggested that it was like taking a lamb to the slaughter with me dressed in the suit. Maggie, fresh with enthusiasm and bursting with energy, just told me that it would be OK and that, to be honest, it was usually the head and eyes that they went for. She rejoined the group as I tried to digest this last little nugget of information. At least I had a veil so I slowly, rather nervously trudged into the line and wandered into the apiary.