On Friday evening our new Queen bee, Diana, arrived clipped and marked to succeed Cleo. It seems ironic that these iconic, ancient deities have had to to succumb to the transport system of the modern world; she and her Ladies in Waiting arrived in a jiffy bag!
Thankfully, the storms of Thursday were beginning to subside, a weather window presented at 7pm giving us the opportunity to prepare the hive for her arrival. The timing was not ideal as it was cold and the whole colony were in residence; they were not too pleased at having their evening interrupted! It was imperative to check that the colony were not nurturing any new queen cells in their bid to ensure survival. If this had been the case they would have immediately killed Diana. Her deadliest adversaries will be Cleo's adolescent Drones who are now virile and hormone driven, intent on searching out Virgin Queens. Diana, has already danced with her young Romeo, a fact that will not go unnoticed by Cleo's boys. Her scent will be unique and distinct from that of the hive. For the first few days it is certain that she will have few allies! So, while the hive acclimatise to her presence, she is protected in a tiny chamber, the entrance of which is barred with a stop of soft fondant. Over the next few days her ladies in waiting and Cleo's workers will eat through the fondant to release Diana into the brood chamber. Hopefully she will charm them with her gentle nature and they will accept her rule.
This will be a nerve racking few days for us all - hopefully, when we open the hive in a week's time we will be rewarded with evidence of newly laid brood and a sighting of Diana with her distinctive golden crown. She is a descendant of the celebrated Buckfast Abbey Bees of Brother Adam. These bees are revered for their gentle nature and contentment. They are renowned for their predilection to settle happily in one place as opposed to the nomadic nature of some honey bees who love to swarm. We await the outcome with baited breath!
