Sustainable Bradfield

By taking a proactive approach our pupils and staff will leave our campus and green estate in good health for the next generation of Bradfieldians @BradfieldCol

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Had a fun day making candles with bees wax

[The Royal Society @royalsociety]

We are proud to have teamed up with @ScottishSensory to create 200 new #BSL signs for common environmental terms, to make #climate and #biodiversity science more accessible. Here's @ProfBrianCox giving us the sign for 'herbivore'. Read more: https://t.co/ZwkSazTR1K

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

This week at the apiary.
Now the honey has been removed we have added a treatment for varroa and also given them some syrup to top it their food supply.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Honey Day!
Last night we extracted the honey from the hives and jarred it. We ended up with approx 21kg. Not bad for our first year.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Today at the Apiary. We are now a step forward to preparing our first Orchard View Honey by adding the clearer boards under the supers so as the bees move back to the brood box they can’t get back into the honey.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Today at the hives.
All well with Beryl in hive 1.
Hive 2 & 3 had their young queens marked with a red dot so we can spot them more easily.
Food added to hive 3 as younger colony so haven’t had time to build their stores up.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

This week at the apiary. It was a dull day but we managed to do quick inspections before the rain.
Pictures show the pollen that’s been stored. Note the different colours. Some new pictures and one to spot queen Beryl.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Apiary update. Although hives 1-3 are all doing well I’m sad to report that the split we did to hive 4 last week hasn’t survived. We don’t really know why but we believe they may not have had enough stores to get them started. A husbandry issue that we will learn from.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Apiary update today
Hive 1 Q Beryl still laying down more honey. Pictures show uncapped and capped honey.
We also split the brood into hive 4. We will find out next week how it’s doing.
Hives 2 & 3 now have laying new queens so they are going from strength to strength.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Apiary update today
Hive 1 Q Beryl still laying down more honey. Pictures show uncapped and capped honey.
We also split the brood into hive 4. We will find out next week how it’s doing.
Hives 2 & 3 now have laying new queens so they are going from strength to strength.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Hives 2 & 3 have new young queens which will now take a mating flight and then return and start laying eggs
Pictures include an emerging baby bee and young queen

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

At the apiary this week.
Hive 1 had another super added as they are making loads of honey

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Hive 3 is looking good and has 2 charged queen cells so we are hopeful we have a new queen on the way. Pictures show a capped queen cell.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Hive 2. Queen Matilda was hiding again but the brood seems much more settled now we have split them and given them more room.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Hive inspection day.
Hive one doing well with loads of honey. Pictures show capped honey, bracing comb and Queen Beryl who is leading a great hive.

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

The whole school out wandering the footpaths of West Berkshire today enjoying day 28 of #30dayswild

[Massimo @Rainmaker1973]

This clip by the Indiana University shows the extreme nutational movements of morning glory vines. Climbing vines need to find a suitable support on which to grow. Shortly after germinating, the young plant begins a hunting motion

[source, read more: https://t.co/W8gNXId5kh]

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Hives really active today.
Hive 1 making more honey while hive 2 is full of brood so we have split this into 2. We will know in 3 weeks if it’s worked and we have 3 hives. Pictures show play cups a queen cell and an emerging baby bee

[Uni of Reading @UniofReading]

White Cliffs of Dover display stark climate change message

The cliffs have been illuminated to start conversations about climate change this #ShowYourStripesDay

Created by @ed_hawkins at Reading, the stripes show temperature change in the UK since 1850.

https://t.co/JY2ZnYDxoC

[Sustainable Bradfield @SustainableBCol]

Apiary update Hive 2.

Queen Matilda has not been spotted for a couple of weeks but the colony is still full of brood. There are some fertilised queen cells which we need to deal with tomorrow