16 Sep 🐝 An Update from the Warfield Park Apiary

As part of our ongoing commitment to biodiversity and nature conservation at Warfield Park, we are pleased to share the latest update from our beekeepers, Mark and Georgina, who care for the apiary on site.

The apiary was established as part of our work towards the David Bellamy Blooming Marvellous Pledge for Nature. This year’s challenge, “Home Sweet Home”, focuses on creating artificial homes and habitats for wildlife, helping support a wide range of species across the park. Our beehives play an important role in this initiative, providing a safe and managed environment for honeybees while contributing to local biodiversity.

A Challenging but Promising Year

This season has presented a few challenges for the colonies, with several hives needing to re-queen before becoming fully established. While the hives take time to become productive, the good news is that the two colonies currently based at Warfield Park have developed exceptionally calm and gentle characteristics.

Looking ahead, these desirable traits mean the beekeepers are hopeful of creating new colony “splits” during 2027, potentially expanding the apiary with one or two additional hives.

Preparing for Winter

The primary focus throughout this year has been building the strength of the colonies and ensuring they are well prepared for winter. Strong, healthy colonies will provide the best foundation for growth and honey production in the years to come.

The bees are currently monitored every week, but as the swarming season comes to an end, inspections will soon move to monthly checks. During this period, the colonies will be fed a specialist sugar syrup to help build their winter stores, while the beekeepers continue to assess whether treatment for varroa mites is required (the Varroa mite, is an external parasitic mite that attacks and feeds on honey bees and is one of the most damaging honey bee pests in the world). Keeping disturbance to a minimum during the colder months helps the bees conserve energy and remain healthy.

Did You Know? Bee “Bearding”

With the recent hot weather, we have noticed large numbers of bees gathered around the outside of a hive. This behaviour is known as “bearding”.

Honeybees are incredibly skilled at regulating the temperature inside their hives. To keep the colony cool, worker bees gather at the entrance and fan their wings, creating airflow throughout the hive. Some bees will also move outside to reduce the temperature inside.

Think of it as the bees’ very own natural air-conditioning system! 🐝🌡️

Honey Harvest Prospects

There is a possibility that a small amount of honey may be harvested this year from one of the supers (the section of the hive where surplus honey is stored) that the bees have successfully drawn out. However, the beekeepers’ priority remains the long-term health and development of the colonies rather than maximising short-term honey yields.

By focusing on colony strength now, the bees will be in an excellent position to increase honey production in 2027. As they continue building comb on their new foundations, future seasons should become even more productive. By 2028, much of the hard work of comb-building will already be complete, allowing the colonies to concentrate their energy on gathering nectar and producing honey.

Supporting Nature at Warfield Park

The apiary forms an important part of Warfield Park’s wider biodiversity initiatives and our continued participation in the David Bellamy Pledge for Nature. Alongside our bee colonies, the Home Sweet Home Challenge has inspired a variety of wildlife habitat projects across the park, helping to provide safe places for nature to thrive.

Honeybees play a vital role in pollinating flowers, trees, and plants across Warfield Park, supporting local wildlife and enhancing our green spaces for everyone to enjoy. We would like to thank Mark and Georgina for their continued dedication and care in managing the colonies and helping this valuable project flourish.

🐝 We look forward to bringing residents further updates from the apiary as the colonies continue their journey towards a thriving and productive future, while supporting our wider mission to make Warfield Park a welcoming home for both residents and wildlife.

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