0:00:02 > 0:00:05I'm Martha Kearney. During the week I work as a journalist
0:00:05 > 0:00:10and presenter, but at the weekend, I keep bees.
0:00:10 > 0:00:12Look at that, that's fantastic.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15'I've been keeping bees in my garden for almost ten years.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18'But I've never had any training and I'm far from expert.'
0:00:18 > 0:00:21I just hope I don't get stung!
0:00:21 > 0:00:24'This year, I am upping my game with help from master beekeeper
0:00:24 > 0:00:25'John Everett.'
0:00:25 > 0:00:29- Here is a baby bee emerging. - Oh, wow!
0:00:29 > 0:00:32And from my friend and neighbour Jan Dryburgh.
0:00:32 > 0:00:37Almost invariably, the bad-tempered bees produce the most honey.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41I am keeping three colonies of bees on an old-fashioned meadow
0:00:41 > 0:00:45and trying to get them to produce British wildflower honey.
0:00:45 > 0:00:47It is proving harder than I thought.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51The poor thing, all the wings are completely distorted as
0:00:51 > 0:00:53if they are shrivelled-up bits of wing.
0:01:03 > 0:01:07I have put three of my beehives on a neighbour's wildflower meadow,
0:01:07 > 0:01:11where I am hoping they will produce a bumper crop of honey.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14But the season has got off to a poor start.
0:01:16 > 0:01:20The strange thing about this year is, the spring was so late.
0:01:20 > 0:01:23So it was a pretty difficult winter for the bees
0:01:23 > 0:01:28and it has meant that all the flowers that they need for nectar
0:01:28 > 0:01:31and for pollen, they are all coming out much later.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Since I was last here, the cherry tree has come into flower,
0:01:35 > 0:01:37the blackthorn is in blossom
0:01:37 > 0:01:41and the first of the meadow flowers have started to emerge.
0:01:44 > 0:01:48But the last time I looked, I found a bee with deformed
0:01:48 > 0:01:52wings in one of my colonies so I called my friend John for advice.
0:01:58 > 0:02:01- Can you see this bee here?- Yes.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05It has got little runts of wings.
0:02:05 > 0:02:07Yeah, that is what I saw before.
0:02:07 > 0:02:12That is absolutely classic of deformed wing bee virus.
0:02:12 > 0:02:17- And obviously the bee is absolutely useless.- Yes, because it can't fly.
0:02:17 > 0:02:19It can't fly.
0:02:19 > 0:02:22'The disease of the wings can be the first warning of a much
0:02:22 > 0:02:24'bigger problem.'
0:02:25 > 0:02:33Deformed wing bee virus is transmitted by varroa mites.
0:02:33 > 0:02:39The varroa bite the baby larvae and inject some fluid into the
0:02:39 > 0:02:45larvae, rather like a drug addict using a dirty hypodermic syringe.
0:02:45 > 0:02:52And the virus goes in and then it causes the larva to be deformed.
0:02:55 > 0:02:59The varroa mite has killed millions of bees worldwide.
0:02:59 > 0:03:05It was first found in the UK on 4 April 1992, in Devon.
0:03:05 > 0:03:08Varroa is here and it is spreading.
0:03:08 > 0:03:09'This beekeeper is
0:03:09 > 0:03:13'one of thousands whose livelihoods are under threat.'
0:03:13 > 0:03:17Since then, it has wiped out many of the UK's wild honeybees
0:03:17 > 0:03:21and it has devastated domesticated bees, too.
0:03:23 > 0:03:27At Sussex University, Professor Francis Ratnieks
0:03:27 > 0:03:29studies the varroa mite.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31These are adult female mites on the microscope.
0:03:31 > 0:03:35It is actually quite a large mite, it is about 2mm across.
0:03:35 > 0:03:38The honeybee is only about 20mm long so if this
0:03:38 > 0:03:43was on you it would be quite a nasty crab-shaped, or crab-sized, object.
0:03:43 > 0:03:49On the adult worker bees they often attach themselves between two
0:03:49 > 0:03:52of the plates on the outside of the bee's body.
0:03:52 > 0:03:54The mites feed on the blood of the bees,
0:03:54 > 0:03:57whether it is a larva or a pupa or an adult.
0:03:58 > 0:04:01They can harm the bee through this feeding,
0:04:01 > 0:04:05but the greater harm is caused by spreading viral diseases.
0:04:05 > 0:04:09If enough bees are infected, the colony will die out.
0:04:10 > 0:04:13But there are things you can do.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16- This is a new kind of treatment, isn't it?- This is a new treatment.
0:04:16 > 0:04:23It is two paper bags with a sugary base inside and formic acid,
0:04:23 > 0:04:28which is the acid that is in ants' stings.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30What does the formic acid do?
0:04:31 > 0:04:36It kills the varroa mites, but how, I have no idea!
0:04:36 > 0:04:39It is literally so new that this is the first hive that
0:04:39 > 0:04:42- I have actually used it on. - Oh, right.
0:04:42 > 0:04:47'The vapour from the sachets causes asphyxiation in the varroa mites,
0:04:47 > 0:04:52'but as long as you get the dose right, it has no effect on bees.'
0:04:52 > 0:04:55Normally we treat them in the winter, when they are not gathering
0:04:55 > 0:04:59honey, or at least in the autumn when we have extracted the honey.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02This treatment we are allowed to use at any time of the year.
0:05:02 > 0:05:05- And it doesn't affect the honey? - It is not supposed to.
0:05:05 > 0:05:09- When I laid it down, did you hear the bees hum?- Yes.
0:05:09 > 0:05:10They obviously don't like it.
0:05:12 > 0:05:15Yes. They're thinking, what is this?
0:05:16 > 0:05:20'To find out if the treatment has worked, you need to see how
0:05:20 > 0:05:23'many dead varroa mites fall through the bottom of the hive.
0:05:23 > 0:05:26'So we are putting in a piece of whiteboard that they will
0:05:26 > 0:05:27'show up on.'
0:05:27 > 0:05:31If any varroa mites drop onto the floor, onto the whiteboard,
0:05:31 > 0:05:33we will be able to see them.
0:05:33 > 0:05:36Right, hope so. Bit depressing to find those.
0:05:38 > 0:05:42In a week or so, the bees should have eaten the new treatment
0:05:42 > 0:05:45so we will come back and find out if it has worked.
0:05:58 > 0:06:02After a slow start, the meadow is now growing fast.
0:06:04 > 0:06:08Buttercups are soon joined by dandelions and yellow rattle.
0:06:10 > 0:06:13The bees are bringing back pollen stuck to their back legs to
0:06:13 > 0:06:15provide protein for the growing young larvae, and
0:06:15 > 0:06:21while there is a supply of pollen the queen continues to lay eggs.
0:06:22 > 0:06:24If the varroa is under control,
0:06:24 > 0:06:27then the bee colony should be expanding fast,
0:06:27 > 0:06:31from the 10,000 or so bees that survive over the winter
0:06:31 > 0:06:35to around 50,000 or 60,000 when the colony reaches its peak.
0:06:37 > 0:06:42After a week, it is time to find out if the varroa treatment has worked.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45- If you take out the... - The white tray.- ..the white tray.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49And then we count how many have come down. Dare we have a look?
0:06:52 > 0:06:54- If you pop it on here for a moment.- Yes.
0:06:56 > 0:06:58That looks like one and that looks like one.
0:06:58 > 0:07:03- And there are three or four there, do you see?- Yes, I do see them.
0:07:03 > 0:07:04But the treatment has killed them
0:07:04 > 0:07:08- and they have fallen through the mesh floor onto this?- Yes.
0:07:08 > 0:07:11'This method seems to have done the trick.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13'Now it is time to see how the bees are doing.'
0:07:15 > 0:07:18That's good, there are lots of bees at the top, isn't it?
0:07:18 > 0:07:20- It is a relief.- You haven't killed off my bees then, John!
0:07:20 > 0:07:22There are still bees here!
0:07:24 > 0:07:27And this is what's left with the treatment.
0:07:31 > 0:07:35- Looks absolutely fine.- Does it, yes?
0:07:36 > 0:07:39There is still a bee with deformed wings.
0:07:39 > 0:07:43It will take another generation for all the deformed bees to
0:07:43 > 0:07:47die out and the new bees to look OK.
0:07:48 > 0:07:51And look, here is a baby bee emerging.
0:07:51 > 0:07:53If I just give them my forceps...
0:07:53 > 0:07:56SHE LAUGHS
0:08:00 > 0:08:04- That's fantastic. - There you are.- Oh, wow!
0:08:06 > 0:08:09'It takes 16 days for a worker to hatch out.
0:08:09 > 0:08:12'When she is ready, she eats her way through the wax cap that
0:08:12 > 0:08:15'seals the cell she has been growing in.'
0:08:15 > 0:08:17That is fantastic to see.
0:08:17 > 0:08:21I have never seen that, you know, John. Wonderful.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23So she is now going to offer some honey?
0:08:23 > 0:08:27She will go and find some honey and stick her head in some honey.
0:08:28 > 0:08:31- Will the other bees help her? - Normally they just ignore her.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34- Do they?- She's only one of about 40,000.
0:08:36 > 0:08:40It is a relief to see that my bees are OK following the treatment.
0:08:40 > 0:08:43THEY CHANT: Save our bees...
0:08:43 > 0:08:45But over the last 30 years,
0:08:45 > 0:08:49bee numbers have been falling fast in the UK and around the world.
0:08:49 > 0:08:53There has been a massive decline in the number of wild flowers
0:08:53 > 0:08:57available for bees to forage on, and there is also a fierce debate
0:08:57 > 0:09:01raging about the role pesticides may play.
0:09:02 > 0:09:06Bees are such important pollinators of many of our most valuable
0:09:06 > 0:09:10crops that their decline is big news.
0:09:11 > 0:09:12The World At One.
0:09:12 > 0:09:16This is Martha Kearney with 45 minutes of news and comment.
0:09:16 > 0:09:18Ask any beekeeper and they will tell you all the problems
0:09:18 > 0:09:20they have been having in recent years.
0:09:20 > 0:09:24Bee populations have dramatically declined in recent decades,
0:09:24 > 0:09:28threatening agriculture around the world as they pollinate many crops.
0:09:28 > 0:09:30So what has been causing that?
0:09:30 > 0:09:32Well, the European Union today has been voting on
0:09:32 > 0:09:36whether to ban certain pesticides or not.
0:09:36 > 0:09:41'In May 2013, the EU decided to impose a temporary ban on one
0:09:41 > 0:09:44'kind of pesticide, neonicotinoids.
0:09:46 > 0:09:49'But what is the evidence against them?
0:09:49 > 0:09:53'At Newcastle University, Dr Geraldine Wright has been
0:09:53 > 0:09:57'studying the effect of these pesticides on the honeybee.'
0:09:57 > 0:10:01The bee is an amazing animal that forages in the landscape
0:10:01 > 0:10:04on many different flower species.
0:10:04 > 0:10:06Bees have to learn visual cues,
0:10:06 > 0:10:09they learn scent cues and they learn places.
0:10:09 > 0:10:11They associate those things with nectar
0:10:11 > 0:10:15and pollen which they collect and bring back to the colony.
0:10:15 > 0:10:18Dr Wright has devised an experiment to find out what effect
0:10:18 > 0:10:20pesticides might have on the bees' ability
0:10:20 > 0:10:22to learn where their food is.
0:10:24 > 0:10:28Honeybees are cooled down to make them docile.
0:10:28 > 0:10:31You can see that the bee is not running around in here,
0:10:31 > 0:10:35she has just gone into a little bit of a deep sleep, the ice nap.
0:10:36 > 0:10:39After she has been taken off the ice she can be handled very
0:10:39 > 0:10:42safely, using a pair of forceps.
0:10:42 > 0:10:47We use a piece of gaffer tape and a piece of plastic tubing
0:10:47 > 0:10:48and by doing that,
0:10:48 > 0:10:52we can just place this piece of tape behind the bee's head,
0:10:52 > 0:10:55very carefully restraining her without harming her, and she will
0:10:55 > 0:10:58wake up in the little restraining harness where we can train her.
0:11:01 > 0:11:05Now they can be taught to respond to the smell of a flower with
0:11:05 > 0:11:07the reward of sugar.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13Sally is training each of the bees to learn to associate
0:11:13 > 0:11:16a floral scent with food.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20She is using this little computer to drive a little puff of air that
0:11:20 > 0:11:22contains floral scent at the bee.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26When the perfume goes towards the bee then
0:11:26 > 0:11:32we also deliver a small droplet of sucrose solution as a reward.
0:11:32 > 0:11:36By carefully timing the presentation of the scent with the food
0:11:36 > 0:11:38reward, the bee learns that whenever
0:11:38 > 0:11:43she smells that particular floral scent she is going to get a reward.
0:11:43 > 0:11:46They're quick learners and they soon stick out their proboscis for sugar
0:11:46 > 0:11:48as soon as they smell the scent.
0:11:50 > 0:11:54Within three presentations of odour paired with the food,
0:11:54 > 0:11:56the bees will learn for life that that odour is
0:11:56 > 0:11:59a signal that they will be fed.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01The result of each bee's learning is noted.
0:12:03 > 0:12:08They are then fed a diet including doses of neonicotinoids,
0:12:08 > 0:12:11which Dr Wright maintains are at the same level
0:12:11 > 0:12:16they would be exposed to when feeding on a field of treated crops.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18When they repeat the learning experiment,
0:12:18 > 0:12:19the results are startling.
0:12:21 > 0:12:25What we find is that bees that have been feeding on very low doses
0:12:25 > 0:12:30of these pesticides for four days are just much slower at doing this.
0:12:30 > 0:12:32There are a number of them, there are like 30% of them
0:12:32 > 0:12:35that cannot even do the task at all.
0:12:36 > 0:12:40The remaining bees are not as fast, it takes them longer to do that.
0:12:40 > 0:12:42Once they have learned the task,
0:12:42 > 0:12:44the next day not very many of them can remember
0:12:44 > 0:12:49it in comparison to bees that have not been exposed to the pesticide.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53These neonicotinoid pesticides might not kill the bees all at once
0:12:53 > 0:12:55but Dr Wright thinks exposure to them
0:12:55 > 0:12:59does affect colonies' ability to feed themselves.
0:12:59 > 0:13:03It's not so obvious, you don't see the bees stumbling around
0:13:03 > 0:13:05and falling over with their legs twitching, um,
0:13:05 > 0:13:08unless it's a fairly high dose of the stuff.
0:13:08 > 0:13:11But at very low doses that are found in nectar
0:13:11 > 0:13:15and pollen, neonicotinoids actually disrupt the way that the brain
0:13:15 > 0:13:20works and are affecting the reward system, and the memory of bees.
0:13:20 > 0:13:22And that would have a very profound effect on the nutrition
0:13:22 > 0:13:25of the entire colony.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29But some scientists argue that neonicotinoids are less
0:13:29 > 0:13:31harmful than many other pesticides.
0:13:31 > 0:13:35And at Sussex University, Professor Ratnieks questions
0:13:35 > 0:13:37the results of the research.
0:13:37 > 0:13:40My current view on this issue is that the data are not yet
0:13:40 > 0:13:45there to say whether a dose of neonicotinoid insecticides
0:13:45 > 0:13:49found in the nectar and pollen of plants which have been
0:13:49 > 0:13:53treated is that sufficient to damage the bees, or their colonies.
0:13:53 > 0:13:55In particular, it seems to me
0:13:55 > 0:13:59that many of the doses that have been used in laboratory studies
0:13:59 > 0:14:03are probably greater than what would be found in nectar and pollen.
0:14:04 > 0:14:06So only more research will tell
0:14:06 > 0:14:09if the ban is enough to help the honeybee survive.
0:14:11 > 0:14:15In the meantime, I have my own bees to worry about.
0:14:15 > 0:14:18As well as the three hives at the wildflower meadow,
0:14:18 > 0:14:21I still have two colonies back at my cottage.
0:14:21 > 0:14:24But one of them is so aggressive I'm quite scared of them.
0:14:24 > 0:14:26And not without reason.
0:14:27 > 0:14:30There's a bit of an irony to me keeping bees,
0:14:30 > 0:14:34because actually, I'm a bit allergic to their stings and that's
0:14:34 > 0:14:37why, in amongst my equipment, I have to carry this, which is an EpiPen.
0:14:37 > 0:14:41I guess the risk is that if I got stung a lot of times,
0:14:41 > 0:14:44it could be quite serious. In fact, a number of people
0:14:44 > 0:14:50die from bee stings every year. Whenever I tell people that I keep
0:14:50 > 0:14:56bees, and I'm allergic, they think I'm mad, but I do carry my EpiPen
0:14:56 > 0:15:00and my doctor says it's fine so long as there's always somebody else around.
0:15:00 > 0:15:05'To try to make my angry bees calmer, I've decided to experiment
0:15:05 > 0:15:09'with something I haven't tried before. I'm going to order a new
0:15:09 > 0:15:12'queen by post to put in the hive
0:15:12 > 0:15:15'and hope she breeds more placid bees.
0:15:16 > 0:15:20'One of the most desirable types is the Buckfast bee.
0:15:20 > 0:15:23'This is a hybrid that was developed by Brother Adam who
0:15:23 > 0:15:29'was in charge of beekeeping at Buckfast Abbey from 1915 to 1992.
0:15:31 > 0:15:34'Over years of cross-breeding, Brother Adam
0:15:34 > 0:15:39'arrived at a strain of bee that was both productive and good tempered.
0:15:39 > 0:15:43'So that's the one I've decided to go for.
0:15:43 > 0:15:47'Bees have always been an important part of church life.
0:15:47 > 0:15:49'They were kept by monks for their honey,
0:15:49 > 0:15:53'but also for the beeswax, which was highly prized for candles.
0:15:59 > 0:16:01'Beeswax burns with a brighter
0:16:01 > 0:16:05'and cleaner flame than the cheaper tallow or rendered animal fat
0:16:05 > 0:16:09'which was the only alternative source of light.
0:16:09 > 0:16:12'Some churches still insist on beeswax candles.
0:16:14 > 0:16:18'In fact, at the very highest echelons of the Anglican Church,
0:16:18 > 0:16:22'the beekeeping tradition is alive and well.
0:16:22 > 0:16:24'Lambeth Palace has been the home of the Archbishop of Canterbury
0:16:24 > 0:16:27'for centuries.
0:16:27 > 0:16:30'There are six hives here, to the delight of the latest
0:16:30 > 0:16:34'incumbent, Justin Welby.'
0:16:34 > 0:16:37- Hello.- Hello, Martha, very nice to see you.- And very nice...
0:16:37 > 0:16:39Thank you very much for inviting me to Lambeth Palace today.
0:16:39 > 0:16:41It's a great pleasure.
0:16:41 > 0:16:44When you heard there were hives here at Lambeth Palace,
0:16:44 > 0:16:45what did you think?
0:16:45 > 0:16:48I thought it was really exciting because my grandmother took
0:16:48 > 0:16:54to keeping bees and grew up with the information from the beekeepers
0:16:54 > 0:16:57you must always tell the bees all the news.
0:16:57 > 0:16:58That's a really lovely old saying.
0:16:58 > 0:17:00It's in Kipling.
0:17:00 > 0:17:02Yes, yes. So do you do that?
0:17:02 > 0:17:05Oh, yes, yes, we had to tell them. She'd take us down and take me down
0:17:05 > 0:17:09and I'd say how school had been and what I was doing,
0:17:09 > 0:17:12and, you know... And then, as I grew up, and I've got a boat
0:17:12 > 0:17:16and, you know, there's this pretty girl here and that sort of stuff.
0:17:16 > 0:17:18So the bees knew all your secrets first?
0:17:18 > 0:17:20Oh, the bees knew more than anyone else, I assumed
0:17:20 > 0:17:22they were reasonably confidential.
0:17:22 > 0:17:24So, yeah, I mean, they're doing well...
0:17:24 > 0:17:27So here they are. That one in particular is doing brilliantly.
0:17:27 > 0:17:30- That's a busy hive.- A lot of supers. You're going to get...
0:17:30 > 0:17:32There's going to be a lot of honey out of that one.
0:17:32 > 0:17:34And do you like honey?
0:17:34 > 0:17:37Yes, I do. I particularly like honeycomb.
0:17:37 > 0:17:41Bees are also a potent symbol in Christian thinking.
0:17:41 > 0:17:46The spiritual picture of bees was that... The ancient legend was they
0:17:46 > 0:17:49were the only creature to escape untainted from the Garden of Eden.
0:17:49 > 0:17:53So they were particularly innocent. I mean, the...
0:17:53 > 0:17:57great preachers in the era of the Eastern Roman Empire,
0:17:57 > 0:18:01Constantinople, would be referred to as honey-tongued preachers
0:18:01 > 0:18:06and it was a sort of sense of smooth and sweet and with
0:18:06 > 0:18:11words that carried real conviction and power and life-changing impact.
0:18:11 > 0:18:15And you see hives a lot in religious art, particularly in monasteries,
0:18:15 > 0:18:18- this idea of everybody living harmoniously together.- Yes.
0:18:18 > 0:18:20Everyone living harmoniously together in the monastery,
0:18:20 > 0:18:24clearly the people who picked up on those had never lived in a monastery.
0:18:24 > 0:18:29Religious community life was, and to this day remains,
0:18:29 > 0:18:31not always that easy.
0:18:31 > 0:18:34But then I suppose hives aren't always as harmonious as
0:18:34 > 0:18:37we like to imagine, or that medievals liked to imagine.
0:18:37 > 0:18:41So you're worried about a swarm or, dare I say, a schism?
0:18:41 > 0:18:43I never thought of it that way!
0:18:44 > 0:18:48Back at the cottage, I'm trying to bring back harmony
0:18:48 > 0:18:51to my rebellious hive.
0:18:51 > 0:18:54The new gentle queen bee is arriving at her new palace.
0:18:58 > 0:19:01Morning. I have a packet for you to sign for, please.
0:19:01 > 0:19:02Do you know what's in there?
0:19:02 > 0:19:05- Yes, it's bees.- Bees.
0:19:05 > 0:19:08Does it make you a bit nervous when you see live bees?
0:19:08 > 0:19:11No, what makes me more nervous is when you see live snakes.
0:19:11 > 0:19:13- You've not had snakes, have you? - I have before, yes.
0:19:13 > 0:19:15- Seriously?- Yes.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16Oh, my God!
0:19:16 > 0:19:19Oh, you get all sorts of things come through the post. Morning.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23- Morning. Thank you. - Bye-bye.
0:19:23 > 0:19:27What I'm going to do today is I'm going to take my new queen
0:19:27 > 0:19:30and we're going to get her into the old angry colony.
0:19:30 > 0:19:33My friend Jan's going to come round and help me.
0:19:33 > 0:19:37'You need plenty of advice and support when you start
0:19:37 > 0:19:41'beekeeping. My neighbour Jan Dryburgh has been very patient.'
0:19:41 > 0:19:43Hello, Martha. So the queen's arrived?
0:19:43 > 0:19:46- Well, she's arrived. - She's arrived.
0:19:46 > 0:19:48Yes, she's arrived, by post.
0:19:48 > 0:19:50This morning?
0:19:50 > 0:19:52This morning, special delivery, I had to sign for her
0:19:52 > 0:19:55and I'm keen to get her opened up so we can have a...
0:19:55 > 0:19:58- A bit of fresh air. - There we go.
0:19:58 > 0:20:02'The queen has been sent with an entourage of attendant bees
0:20:02 > 0:20:03'to feed and clean her.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07'The cage is plugged with sugar candy.'
0:20:07 > 0:20:10Well, they all... There is certainly... They're all alive, aren't they?
0:20:10 > 0:20:14- Yes, they're rushing about. - It's a very good sign.
0:20:14 > 0:20:16I expect they're wondering what's happening.
0:20:16 > 0:20:19Yes, exactly, where they are. Welcome to your new home, ladies.
0:20:19 > 0:20:23Looking forward to seeing a change of temperament after this.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26- Yeah, I know.- They're vicious, those bees, aren't they?
0:20:26 > 0:20:30- I'm really quite scared of them. - OK, lovely.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32Right, Your Majesty.
0:20:32 > 0:20:34And off we go then.
0:20:34 > 0:20:40Queen bees rule the colony through powerful pheromones that give
0:20:40 > 0:20:41signals to the bees.
0:20:41 > 0:20:43Each queen has a different smell.
0:20:43 > 0:20:48If two are present in the same hive, they'll fight.
0:20:51 > 0:20:54Queens are the only bees who can sting and not die.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58Whichever is stung first won't survive.
0:21:02 > 0:21:06That should give them a calming digestive honey.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09Yes, just for a little bit.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13'Jan and I have to keep the new queen separate from the old one,
0:21:13 > 0:21:15'but first we need to find her.'
0:21:16 > 0:21:19Well, she should be breeding and pretty large now
0:21:19 > 0:21:22so we should...shouldn't have too much difficulty seeing her.
0:21:22 > 0:21:27'As soon as the roof comes off the bees are out and on the attack.'
0:21:27 > 0:21:29See what I mean? They're not nice bees, are they?
0:21:29 > 0:21:32If you give them a bit more smoke.
0:21:34 > 0:21:36They're quite agitated, aren't they, Jan?
0:21:36 > 0:21:40Well, fairly.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41Any sign of the queen yet?
0:21:41 > 0:21:43No, haven't looked, really.
0:21:43 > 0:21:45I'm getting a little bit worried about them.
0:21:45 > 0:21:48And this is generally what they're like, these bees.
0:21:48 > 0:21:51They're not calm at all.
0:21:51 > 0:21:55One of the things, though, that you have to bear in mind is
0:21:55 > 0:21:59almost invariably the bad-tempered bees are the ones that
0:21:59 > 0:22:02produce the most honey.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04THEY LAUGH
0:22:05 > 0:22:08No, I can't see her there. Any sign on your side?
0:22:08 > 0:22:12- No.- And there's not too many bees. There's none on my side either.
0:22:12 > 0:22:15Stick her in there quickly. You don't want the brood to get chilled.
0:22:15 > 0:22:19'We separate out some frames of brood without the old queen,
0:22:19 > 0:22:21'to put into a travelling box.'
0:22:23 > 0:22:25Shall we have a look through these...
0:22:25 > 0:22:28- For the old queen. - ..for the old queen?
0:22:28 > 0:22:31Ah, there, look, you see she's marked. Yellow mark.
0:22:31 > 0:22:34Yellow mark, yeah, for last year's... Fantastic.
0:22:34 > 0:22:37Oh, she's quite a different shape, isn't she? Look.
0:22:37 > 0:22:41Lovely. So there we are, we know the old queen is there, we can see her.
0:22:41 > 0:22:42Yes, there she is.
0:22:42 > 0:22:45Pop her back. Be a good idea to have her right in the middle
0:22:45 > 0:22:47so she's laying on either side.
0:22:47 > 0:22:51Eventually I'm going to kill the old queen. Cruel as it sounds.
0:22:51 > 0:22:55But she's laying very bad-tempered bees
0:22:55 > 0:22:57so I'm afraid it's curtains for her.
0:22:57 > 0:23:00You've got a lot of bees on your back...back shoulders.
0:23:03 > 0:23:06'We take the frames of brood with no queen over to a spare
0:23:06 > 0:23:10'hive where we will introduce them to their new Buckfast queen.'
0:23:12 > 0:23:15You're going to have a new mummy soon. Right, I've got the
0:23:15 > 0:23:20queen, I'm going to pop her in this one where there's lots of honey.
0:23:22 > 0:23:26So if you put it back down and I'm going to squish her against this one.
0:23:31 > 0:23:35There she is so she's stuck right inside with the oozing honey.
0:23:35 > 0:23:39- Good.- So they should love that. That will attract them to it.
0:23:39 > 0:23:42And what they're going to do is they're going to eat their way through
0:23:42 > 0:23:46the sugar at the very entrance of the queen cage, aren't they?
0:23:46 > 0:23:48So they'll get used to her smell
0:23:48 > 0:23:49and hopefully they'll accept her.
0:23:49 > 0:23:52- Well, yes.- Fingers crossed.
0:23:52 > 0:23:55Fingers crossed, yes.
0:23:57 > 0:23:58Well, we've done it.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00And it's all calm and quiet.
0:24:00 > 0:24:03It's all very calm and quiet so I guess we just...
0:24:03 > 0:24:05we just need to wait and see if...
0:24:05 > 0:24:10If she's accepted, and there's no reason why she shouldn't be.
0:24:10 > 0:24:12And then you've got to...
0:24:12 > 0:24:14We'll reunite them.
0:24:14 > 0:24:18And dispose of the old queen or find a good home for her.
0:24:18 > 0:24:21'If the new queen's accepted by the workers, she should start
0:24:21 > 0:24:25'laying her mild-mannered offspring in the next few weeks.
0:24:35 > 0:24:36'Three weeks later,
0:24:36 > 0:24:41'master beekeeper John Everett's come to help check on my new queen.'
0:24:41 > 0:24:44What I want to do today is get the angry queen
0:24:44 > 0:24:50out of the original hive and then reunite the two bits together,
0:24:50 > 0:24:55hopefully with the new, lovely, good-tempered Buckfast queen,
0:24:55 > 0:24:58and I should have a delightful new colony.
0:24:58 > 0:25:02OK, so the first thing is to make sure that the queen was introduced
0:25:02 > 0:25:06correctly, you know, the Buckfast queen. Once we've done that,
0:25:06 > 0:25:11we can think about the next stage which will be catching the old queen.
0:25:11 > 0:25:14'And then we plan to commit regicide.
0:25:14 > 0:25:19'But first we have to check whether the new queen has been accepted.'
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Well, this looks rather good, doesn't it?
0:25:23 > 0:25:26- This looks absolutely brilliant. - They've really done well.
0:25:26 > 0:25:29There's so many bees here, the queen
0:25:29 > 0:25:33must have been introduced successfully.
0:25:33 > 0:25:35Now, we've got some sealed brood here.
0:25:35 > 0:25:38So the queen definitely must be here.
0:25:38 > 0:25:40There she is! There she is.
0:25:40 > 0:25:43There she is. Oh, right. Well, I'm really pleased because the big
0:25:43 > 0:25:47risk was that these bees would reject the new queen, the Buckfast
0:25:47 > 0:25:51queen, but they haven't. She's in there, we've seen her, she's laying
0:25:51 > 0:25:57eggs, we've seen brood, that's the baby bees, so fingers crossed this
0:25:57 > 0:26:02is a healthy colony, and we should get some honey out of this, I think.
0:26:02 > 0:26:05'Now it's time to kill the old queen and put the new
0:26:05 > 0:26:09'queen in the bad-tempered colony. First, we take off the top super.'
0:26:11 > 0:26:15Right, shall we just give this... lift this up a bit?
0:26:15 > 0:26:20Gosh, this is heavy, I might need you to help me lift this, John.
0:26:20 > 0:26:27Wow... Wow, this is full of honey, isn't it?
0:26:27 > 0:26:29It's incredibly...heavy.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31I can't hold it for much longer.
0:26:31 > 0:26:33'The bees are just as angry as usual
0:26:33 > 0:26:38'but they have produced more honey than any of my other hives.'
0:26:38 > 0:26:42That's just like an amazing amount of honey in there, in a very
0:26:42 > 0:26:46short period of time. I mean, these bees, look at these bees,
0:26:46 > 0:26:52they're so blooming bad-tempered, but they are very, very productive.
0:26:52 > 0:26:56Let's just take a look at one of these.
0:26:56 > 0:26:59Wow, look at that,
0:26:59 > 0:27:01that's fantastic.
0:27:01 > 0:27:03'They've filled up all the frames
0:27:03 > 0:27:06'and then carried on building more comb below.'
0:27:06 > 0:27:08So we've got sealed honey here
0:27:08 > 0:27:12and some liquid honey with a little bit of pollen mixed in.
0:27:12 > 0:27:16Maybe not quite ready to extract yet, do you think, if it's not...?
0:27:16 > 0:27:20Next weekend... Next weekend would be a good time.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23'The honey is not ready to extract
0:27:23 > 0:27:26'until the bees have sealed it over with a wax cap.'
0:27:26 > 0:27:28Well, I really wasn't expecting this.
0:27:28 > 0:27:35Because I only left... There were only a few frames in the brood box
0:27:35 > 0:27:37when I left them.
0:27:37 > 0:27:41They've just gone absolutely mad. I'm very torn because I was thinking
0:27:41 > 0:27:46about replacing the queen bee here, but they're phenomenally productive
0:27:46 > 0:27:52so, to be honest, I might just live with them being like this,
0:27:52 > 0:27:55because it's the price I'll pay for some great honey.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59'The old queen has had a last-minute reprieve.
0:27:59 > 0:28:03'I only hope my other colonies perform as well.
0:28:03 > 0:28:07'Next time, my bees threaten to leave their overcrowded
0:28:07 > 0:28:08'hives in a swarm.'
0:28:08 > 0:28:12One of the tricks is to clip one of the wings of the queen.
0:28:12 > 0:28:16You probably think I'm very sentimental but it sounds rather cruel to me.
0:28:16 > 0:28:21'In Sussex, I discover a school of natural beekeeping.
0:28:21 > 0:28:25This shape here is exactly the shape of the hive.
0:28:25 > 0:28:30'And I find out just how much honey the angry bees have produced.'