0:00:02 > 0:00:06I'm Martha Kearney, during the week I work as a journalist
0:00:06 > 0:00:09and presenter, but at the weekend, I keep bees.
0:00:09 > 0:00:12Look at that, that's fantastic.
0:00:12 > 0:00:15I've had hives in my garden for almost ten years.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18But 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 > 0:00:25So this year I'm upping my game - with help from master beekeeper
0:00:25 > 0:00:26John Everett.
0:00:26 > 0:00:30One of the tricks is to clip one of the wings - of the queen.
0:00:30 > 0:00:32It sounds rather cruel to me.
0:00:32 > 0:00:36I'll be exploring the culture, science and history of beekeeping.
0:00:36 > 0:00:40This is the greatest show on earth - the swarming of honey bees.
0:00:40 > 0:00:43And I'll be trying to harvest the best honey I've ever had...
0:00:43 > 0:00:46This is the best bit...
0:00:46 > 0:00:49It's very nice indeed.
0:01:06 > 0:01:09Early summer in Suffolk.
0:01:09 > 0:01:12A time of pleasure and pain for the beekeeper.
0:01:12 > 0:01:14The weather's finally warming up.
0:01:14 > 0:01:17The bees in my garden are busy foraging for nectar
0:01:17 > 0:01:19and pollen wherever they can find it.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28This year, I've put three new colonies in an old-fashioned
0:01:28 > 0:01:31meadow on my neighbours' land at Barton Grange,
0:01:31 > 0:01:35where I hope they'll produce my first ever wild flower honey.
0:01:38 > 0:01:42By this time of year, the colonies should be expanding fast.
0:01:43 > 0:01:47The fields around the meadow are full of flowers and with
0:01:47 > 0:01:50so much nectar and pollen available to feed up the young,
0:01:50 > 0:01:53the queens are laying hundreds of eggs a day.
0:01:55 > 0:02:00But this fecundity can present a challenge - the swarm.
0:02:00 > 0:02:05Around this time of year swarming is a real problem actually,
0:02:05 > 0:02:09and I've had many swarms over the years,
0:02:09 > 0:02:11and the worst thing that can happen is you just go back
0:02:11 > 0:02:14to your hive and you realise there's only half of the bees there
0:02:14 > 0:02:18and they've swarmed and you haven't even seen them.
0:02:18 > 0:02:22When the hive becomes overcrowded, the bees have a unique response.
0:02:24 > 0:02:27More than half leave the hive in a swarm.
0:02:30 > 0:02:33They take the old queen with them to look for a new home.
0:02:33 > 0:02:35It's a natural form of reproduction.
0:02:35 > 0:02:37While the scouts find a suitable spot,
0:02:37 > 0:02:40the others cling together for warmth.
0:02:42 > 0:02:45I'm sure my hives are ready to swarm
0:02:45 > 0:02:49and I want to find out more about this extraordinary phenomenon.
0:02:51 > 0:02:55I've come to Sussex University to ask bee expert
0:02:55 > 0:02:57Professor Francis Ratnieks.
0:02:57 > 0:03:01So what is it, exactly that triggers a swarm?
0:03:01 > 0:03:04Swarming is the way that honey bee colonies naturally
0:03:04 > 0:03:07reproduce where one colony becomes two.
0:03:08 > 0:03:11Before half the bees can leave with the old queen,
0:03:11 > 0:03:15they have to make a replacement queen for those who stay behind.
0:03:15 > 0:03:17What happens is worker bees make queen cells which
0:03:17 > 0:03:18look like an acorn cup.
0:03:18 > 0:03:22And we can see, can't we, there's a couple of queen cells
0:03:22 > 0:03:26- in here, aren't there?- Yes, we can see several queen cells
0:03:26 > 0:03:29and when a colony is swarming, they normally make you know, quite
0:03:29 > 0:03:33a lot of queen cells. They make an heir and a spare plus a few more.
0:03:33 > 0:03:39The larva in the queen cell begins life in the same way as a worker bee.
0:03:39 > 0:03:41But the bees feed it with a special substance
0:03:41 > 0:03:43secreted from a gland in their head.
0:03:45 > 0:03:48The royal jelly has chemicals within it which
0:03:48 > 0:03:53trigger the larva to develop as a queen instead of as a worker.
0:03:53 > 0:03:56Because both workers and queens are female -
0:03:56 > 0:03:59and a female larva can in principle can become either.
0:04:00 > 0:04:04While we're talking, the bees in the observation hive in front of us
0:04:04 > 0:04:06start behaving very strangely.
0:04:06 > 0:04:10What's going on here? They're all getting quite agitated, aren't they?
0:04:10 > 0:04:12Well, the hive here - the bees are actually running in all
0:04:12 > 0:04:16directions and I think we're seeing the early stages of swarming.
0:04:16 > 0:04:18In fact, looking through the window I can see quite a lot
0:04:18 > 0:04:22- of bees flying around, so I think... - Maybe we should go outside
0:04:22 > 0:04:25- and have a look?- Let's go outside and see what what's happening.
0:04:27 > 0:04:32This is amazing to watch. The bees cluster with the old queen
0:04:32 > 0:04:35around the entrance to the observation hive.
0:04:35 > 0:04:39They'll wait here until they find a new place to make a home.
0:04:40 > 0:04:43During swarming the bees are not at all aggressive. You can
0:04:43 > 0:04:45stand here without any fear at all.
0:04:47 > 0:04:51Francis is confident enough to handle them with no veil or gloves.
0:04:53 > 0:04:55I'm a little more circumspect.
0:04:56 > 0:04:58This is the greatest show on earth.
0:04:58 > 0:05:00The swarming of honey bees.
0:05:00 > 0:05:03It's one of the most dramatic things you can see and,
0:05:03 > 0:05:07indeed I never get tired of the bees. They're so amazing in what they do.
0:05:10 > 0:05:14This unique form of reproduction might be fascinating to witness,
0:05:14 > 0:05:17but for a beekeeper a swarm is a mixed blessing.
0:05:20 > 0:05:23Because you can end up losing your bees.
0:05:24 > 0:05:28The problem for me is I want to get my wild flower honey
0:05:28 > 0:05:30ready, and ready for the end of June, so that's quite
0:05:30 > 0:05:35a deadline. If we get a swarm now that could ruin my chances.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40I can't be at Barton Grange every day checking up on them,
0:05:40 > 0:05:44so I want to find out from my beekeeping guru John Everett,
0:05:44 > 0:05:48how to make sure I don't lose my bees when they swarm.
0:05:50 > 0:05:53OK. Um, well these seem to have been doing
0:05:53 > 0:05:56reasonably well, but let's see how they're getting on.
0:05:56 > 0:05:58- Right, let me just give it a puff.- Yep.
0:06:07 > 0:06:10As soon as we open the brood box of the first hive,
0:06:10 > 0:06:13we discover queen cells.
0:06:13 > 0:06:15There's another queen cell there.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18The workers have made a lot of them
0:06:18 > 0:06:20and the larvae are almost ready to hatch.
0:06:20 > 0:06:22Blimey, so many.
0:06:25 > 0:06:28Because there are so many queen cells like this,
0:06:28 > 0:06:33and because the hive is so overcrowded, I'm sure it's going to
0:06:33 > 0:06:35swarm in the next day or two.
0:06:35 > 0:06:37So what's your view of what's
0:06:37 > 0:06:43the best thing to do about swarms? I mean, could you just let them go?
0:06:43 > 0:06:48You could, but if we don't do anything we may lose the swarm.
0:06:48 > 0:06:51Yes, which is a nuisance because that will affect our honey crop, won't it?
0:06:51 > 0:06:56Yes, it certainly will. One of the tricks that we can get up
0:06:56 > 0:07:00to is to clip one of the wings of the queen,
0:07:00 > 0:07:04so if she does try to swarm - it's a bit like having a plane with
0:07:04 > 0:07:06one engine on one side and none on the other -
0:07:06 > 0:07:10she goes round in a circle and we're less likely to lose the swarm.
0:07:10 > 0:07:14You probably think I'm very sentimental but it sounds rather
0:07:14 > 0:07:18- cruel to me.- I don't think so - all the tissue that is there is dead.
0:07:18 > 0:07:23It's a bit like cutting toenails so it's not going to hurt her at all.
0:07:23 > 0:07:25Oh, I don't know - I'm not sure about that.
0:07:25 > 0:07:29- But, um... - It's up to you - you choose.
0:07:29 > 0:07:31Well, I'm...I'm interested
0:07:31 > 0:07:35to see whether it's effective, so I think I'm happy to give it a go.
0:07:35 > 0:07:38So if we see the queen -
0:07:38 > 0:07:42I will take a couple of mils off one wing. There's the queen.
0:07:42 > 0:07:47- Oh, there she is.- And at the moment both her wings are the same
0:07:47 > 0:07:52length and the trick is just to reduce one by a couple of mils.
0:07:52 > 0:07:58So you're just taking a little bit off one of the wings...
0:08:01 > 0:08:07I've cut off about two mils off her left wing.
0:08:09 > 0:08:11It doesn't stop swarming,
0:08:11 > 0:08:15but it does mean that it's much more likely that we'll find the swarm.
0:08:15 > 0:08:20I'm incredibly impressed, John, by what you've done.
0:08:20 > 0:08:24I mean it's such a delicate thing and if I...
0:08:24 > 0:08:27if I had a go myself I think I'd probably end up decapitating
0:08:27 > 0:08:30- the queen.- It's quite normal for them to lose their back legs.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34Really?! Oh, no that's awful. That's so cruel.
0:08:35 > 0:08:36Now that we've clipped the wings,
0:08:36 > 0:08:40if the bees do swarm I should easily find them
0:08:40 > 0:08:44as the queen won't be able to travel far in her search for a new home.
0:08:47 > 0:08:51But for some beekeepers, stopping swarms goes
0:08:51 > 0:08:55against everything they believe.
0:08:55 > 0:08:56Heidi Herrmann is one of them.
0:08:56 > 0:09:01She runs a school of natural beekeeping at her home in Sussex.
0:09:02 > 0:09:05You know, we hear so much about the bees are in trouble
0:09:05 > 0:09:08and then you hear that the queen bees' wings
0:09:08 > 0:09:10are being cut off by a beekeeper.
0:09:10 > 0:09:14I think it's, um, it's a shame that that is being done.
0:09:14 > 0:09:18Because you're basically frustrating, you're thwarting the colonies'
0:09:18 > 0:09:22instinct in a very crude way and I don't think it makes much sense
0:09:22 > 0:09:26to prevent natural reproduction of a creature
0:09:26 > 0:09:29when that creature is in decline.
0:09:29 > 0:09:33If you want to practice natural beekeeping in the sense of
0:09:33 > 0:09:37um...that you want to get as close in your beekeeping as possible to
0:09:37 > 0:09:42the natural colony life, then you also have to take responsibility.
0:09:42 > 0:09:45Heidi doesn't try to stop swarms, instead
0:09:45 > 0:09:48she keeps a constant watch for them.
0:09:48 > 0:09:51If she sees a swarm she goes out
0:09:51 > 0:09:54and collects it - like this one her husband caught on film last year.
0:09:57 > 0:09:59There we go.
0:10:01 > 0:10:06Once she's collected the bees she coaxes them into a new hive.
0:10:06 > 0:10:08And ends up with a brand-new colony.
0:10:11 > 0:10:14Come on, girls. Up you go.
0:10:14 > 0:10:18This technique is all part of a natural approach to beekeeping.
0:10:22 > 0:10:25Heidi believes in interfering as little as possible with the bees.
0:10:25 > 0:10:29Controversially, she doesn't use chemicals to treat varroa.
0:10:29 > 0:10:34She doesn't feed the bees with sugar syrup and she doesn't take
0:10:34 > 0:10:39any honey unless she's sure the bees have enough to last the winter.
0:10:39 > 0:10:42When you read all the beekeeping books say of the '50s
0:10:42 > 0:10:46and '60s you find a much more respectful attitude towards
0:10:46 > 0:10:51the...the whole being of the colony and what the colony needs.
0:10:52 > 0:10:56Attitudes towards keeping bees have evolved over the centuries.
0:10:58 > 0:10:59People have kept bees for honey
0:10:59 > 0:11:04since at least the time of the ancient Egyptians.
0:11:04 > 0:11:07At first bee hives were just hollow logs,
0:11:07 > 0:11:11then woven straw baskets or "skeps" were used.
0:11:12 > 0:11:16Skeps were common right up to the 19th century.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18But although they now look quaint,
0:11:18 > 0:11:22the only way to harvest the honey was to kill the bees.
0:11:24 > 0:11:27So the wooden hive with removable frames that we use today,
0:11:27 > 0:11:29was a big advance.
0:11:31 > 0:11:36But natural beekeepers like Heidi now use a new kind of hive that
0:11:36 > 0:11:40brings the skep into the modern age, it's called a sun hive.
0:11:40 > 0:11:43I've never seen anything like this, to be perfectly honest.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45The idea here is that you offer the bees
0:11:45 > 0:11:49a hive in the archetypal shape
0:11:49 > 0:11:51in which the bees in the wild
0:11:51 > 0:11:55would construct their brood nest. But why is it hanging high up?
0:11:55 > 0:11:58Unequivocally when bees are able to choose their own homes
0:11:58 > 0:12:01it will be between 2.5 and 6m off the ground.
0:12:01 > 0:12:05In other words the bee is not an animal that wishes to live on the earth.
0:12:05 > 0:12:07They only live on the earth because we want them
0:12:07 > 0:12:10on the earth because we want to have it easy to take the honey out.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12So do you not get any honey?
0:12:12 > 0:12:16You would never take anything out of this hive structure.
0:12:16 > 0:12:18But if your bees are doing very well
0:12:18 > 0:12:22you will then have the possibility of mounting
0:12:22 > 0:12:28on the top a super and they can put some surplus into that box.
0:12:28 > 0:12:32The sun hives have a unique construction inside too.
0:12:32 > 0:12:35I will wear some simple decorators goggles -
0:12:35 > 0:12:39this is just a sensible thing to protect your eyes.
0:12:39 > 0:12:41Well, you're much braver than I am.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46Heidi claims that her non-invasive approach makes
0:12:46 > 0:12:48the bees much less likely to sting her.
0:12:49 > 0:12:53Let's just take that little one out.
0:12:55 > 0:13:02Very good, girls. You see here the marvel of bees
0:13:02 > 0:13:07engaged in the process of building comb - forming these chains.
0:13:07 > 0:13:10- Absolutely beautiful. - That shape reminds me very much
0:13:10 > 0:13:16of a wild bees' nest that I was once shown in Nevis in the Caribbean.
0:13:16 > 0:13:18Precisely.
0:13:18 > 0:13:22Unlike my hives these have no frames of wax foundation for the bees
0:13:22 > 0:13:24to make their comb.
0:13:25 > 0:13:29Instead, there are simple curved wooden bars.
0:13:29 > 0:13:32This shape here is actually exactly
0:13:32 > 0:13:37- the shape of the hive - it's beautifully thought out.- Yeah.
0:13:45 > 0:13:49While I'm away from Suffolk, I've asked the owners of the meadow,
0:13:49 > 0:13:52Matthew and Nick, to keep an eye on my hives.
0:13:54 > 0:13:58Then, one afternoon in June, the inevitable happens.
0:14:04 > 0:14:05Martha, it's Matthew.
0:14:05 > 0:14:08The bees on the far left hand hive are swarming.
0:14:08 > 0:14:10They're all piling out in numbers
0:14:10 > 0:14:13and they're all gathering at the top.
0:14:13 > 0:14:16So is there anything you want us to do, Martha?
0:14:18 > 0:14:21So you want... We put a box underneath and try and brush them
0:14:21 > 0:14:24into a box, is that correct, to then...?
0:14:26 > 0:14:31Well, Nick's got... Nick's got a bee outfit so maybe he can try
0:14:31 > 0:14:33and give it a go.
0:14:33 > 0:14:38Matthew is a bit scared about coming too close...
0:14:38 > 0:14:41without any protection.
0:14:43 > 0:14:47With her wings clipped, the queen has only been able to fly as far as
0:14:47 > 0:14:51the edge of the hive, so the swarm is easy to find, even for a novice.
0:14:53 > 0:14:57- Have you done this before, Nick? - Never. No, not at all.
0:15:13 > 0:15:18I would never have thought they would be so easy to handle.
0:15:26 > 0:15:31There's one main core which I guess is where the queen is.
0:15:39 > 0:15:44Nick pours the bees into a box with just a few frames called a nuc box.
0:15:44 > 0:15:48They'll be happy enough here until the colony builds up.
0:15:53 > 0:15:54It's a new home.
0:15:55 > 0:15:59Closer into the meadow.
0:15:59 > 0:16:04Well, I think I've caught the bug now.
0:16:04 > 0:16:07Nick and Matthew have done a fantastic job.
0:16:07 > 0:16:11And the wing clipping does seem to have helped make it easier to
0:16:11 > 0:16:13catch the swarm.
0:16:13 > 0:16:18I now have a whole extra colony, but the cedar hive is also getting
0:16:18 > 0:16:22very crowded and I'm determined not to lose it to another swarm.
0:16:22 > 0:16:26I need to find a way of making sure they swarm
0:16:26 > 0:16:30while I'm on hand to collect them.
0:16:30 > 0:16:33And John thinks he might have a solution.
0:16:35 > 0:16:37We could make an artificial swarm.
0:16:37 > 0:16:41So we'll take the old queen out
0:16:41 > 0:16:43and if we do that, that's the swarm, isn't it?
0:16:43 > 0:16:46- They'll follow her.- Yeah, and we'll shake some bees on her
0:16:46 > 0:16:49- and see what happens.- OK, brilliant. I like this experiment.
0:16:49 > 0:16:54I have never actually tried to make the swarm go into a tree
0:16:54 > 0:16:57- or anything - but there's always a first, isn't there?- Yeah.
0:16:57 > 0:16:59But this is what would happen
0:16:59 > 0:17:02in the wild if you left it alone.
0:17:02 > 0:17:05But of course it could just go off
0:17:05 > 0:17:08two miles and we'd lose the bees - and we don't want that to happen.
0:17:14 > 0:17:17First he finds a queen cell ready to hatch.
0:17:18 > 0:17:21Then he catches the queen as she emerges.
0:17:21 > 0:17:24There's a brand-new queen.
0:17:24 > 0:17:27We'll keep this new queen in the hive to rebuild the colony,
0:17:27 > 0:17:29while we take the old queen
0:17:29 > 0:17:33and about half the bees to make the artificial swarm.
0:17:34 > 0:17:38I have put the queen in this little box.
0:17:38 > 0:17:41So I'm going to close her up without crushing her.
0:17:43 > 0:17:44Go back, lady.
0:17:45 > 0:17:48- So if we hang that on there. - Yes.- And then we'll
0:17:48 > 0:17:51- shake some bees and see what happens.- OK, look, well I know
0:17:51 > 0:17:54- when they've swarmed before they like gate posts, don't they?- Yeah.
0:17:57 > 0:18:02The queen's powerful pheromones make the worker bees gather around her.
0:18:02 > 0:18:06Their swarming instinct makes them docile.
0:18:06 > 0:18:09This is exactly what a swarm does, isn't it? This is a swarm.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12This looks exactly like a swarm in the wild.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14The only difference between this
0:18:14 > 0:18:18and a natural swarm is that we've made it happen when we wanted it.
0:18:22 > 0:18:25Look at that, look at them clinging all around. So shall
0:18:25 > 0:18:28- I just... Shall I put it in the...?- Yeah, just...
0:18:28 > 0:18:31Yeah, go right down to the bottom.
0:18:31 > 0:18:32It's so weird when you do this.
0:18:32 > 0:18:37It's as if they're one substance - like syrup or something, isn't it?
0:18:37 > 0:18:40They kind of pour themselves on to the card.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43'We take the swarm of bees and give them
0:18:43 > 0:18:46'a new home in a nuc box with six frames.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49'They can now start to build up a new colony.'
0:18:50 > 0:18:55So I've got a queen and some frames of bees.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59So, very good day's beekeeping, actually. I'm very glad about this.
0:18:59 > 0:19:03I now have my original three hives
0:19:03 > 0:19:06and two new fledgling colonies in nuc boxes.
0:19:06 > 0:19:08With a bit of luck,
0:19:08 > 0:19:11I should have plenty of honey to harvest in a few weeks.
0:19:19 > 0:19:23At my cottage, I have one hive which is already heavy with honey.
0:19:25 > 0:19:28These bees are very productive - but also ferocious.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34I've asked my beekeeping friend Jan Dryburgh, who's much braver than me,
0:19:34 > 0:19:38to help work out if there's any honey ready to extract.
0:19:41 > 0:19:43What I want to have a look at today
0:19:43 > 0:19:47is the terrifyingly angry, vicious hive.
0:19:47 > 0:19:52I'm only just going to see whether I'm in a position to extract any honey, but I'm not going down
0:19:52 > 0:19:55- into the brood box - because they're too frightening.- Right, OK.
0:20:03 > 0:20:07The pleasure of honey and the pain of bee stings inspired
0:20:07 > 0:20:11one of my favourite paintings - Lucas Cranach The Elder's
0:20:11 > 0:20:15Cupid Complaining To Venus at the National Gallery.
0:20:17 > 0:20:21Cupid has stolen some honeycomb from wild bees,
0:20:21 > 0:20:24but when he gets stung, he comes crying to his mother.
0:20:26 > 0:20:29It's an old story told by the Greek poet Theocritus.
0:20:31 > 0:20:35And it captures the paradox of man's relationship with the honey bee.
0:20:38 > 0:20:42Thing about the angry bees - they're very productive.
0:20:42 > 0:20:46- They are, yes, whatever people say about it.- Yeah.
0:20:46 > 0:20:48Wow!
0:20:48 > 0:20:54- Yes.- This is fantastic - this is really very, very heavy.
0:20:54 > 0:20:58- This is really good, isn't it? - Yes.- And all sealed.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01- My goodness.- So I think we can assume there is
0:21:01 > 0:21:04loads in here. Shall we pop this over here? Are you able to help me?
0:21:04 > 0:21:06See how heavy it is.
0:21:06 > 0:21:09- I couldn't manage this on my own. - Right.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13And let's see if there's any worth taking out. Yeah, look,
0:21:13 > 0:21:16more. Do you think that's enough to take out or not yet?
0:21:16 > 0:21:18I think you probably could.
0:21:18 > 0:21:22'We decide to extract the first batch of honey the next day.
0:21:22 > 0:21:25'But first we have to clear the bees from the super.'
0:21:26 > 0:21:29So I'm going to just pop this on.
0:21:29 > 0:21:33So this is called a Canadian clearing board.
0:21:33 > 0:21:36The bees can go down and they can't come back up.
0:21:36 > 0:21:39So it will be nice and clear for me tomorrow when I come
0:21:39 > 0:21:41and extract them. You leave them on for a day.
0:21:43 > 0:21:46When the bees return from foraging they won't be able
0:21:46 > 0:21:50to get back into the super, leaving it bee-free for the extraction.
0:21:51 > 0:21:54Even though they scare me to death,
0:21:54 > 0:21:57they're easily my most productive bees.
0:21:57 > 0:22:02In one super alone we've got... an awful lot of honey.
0:22:02 > 0:22:05A hive can produce a pound of honey in a day.
0:22:07 > 0:22:12The bees will visit about two million flowers and fly 50,000 miles
0:22:12 > 0:22:13to make it.
0:22:13 > 0:22:18It takes 12 bees a lifetime to produce one teaspoon of honey.
0:22:22 > 0:22:28To transform the nectar into honey, the foragers transfer it to bees back at the hive.
0:22:28 > 0:22:31They combine the nectar with an enzyme in their stomach
0:22:31 > 0:22:36and then regurgitate it which changes its chemical composition.
0:22:36 > 0:22:40Then the bees flap their wings to evaporate most of the moisture.
0:22:40 > 0:22:44This thickens the honey and stops it from fermenting.
0:22:45 > 0:22:48This takes a further three days.
0:22:48 > 0:22:51Then the bees cap the cell with wax so the honey will be there
0:22:51 > 0:22:54when they need it for food.
0:22:57 > 0:23:01We've got um...everything ready here. This is the extractor.
0:23:01 > 0:23:05'The next day, I'm ready to harvest the honey from the hive of angry
0:23:05 > 0:23:07'bees that I left at my cottage.
0:23:08 > 0:23:10'This will be the very first crop of the year.
0:23:12 > 0:23:15'I've roped in help from my husband Chris,
0:23:15 > 0:23:17'a rather reluctant beekeeping assistant.'
0:23:18 > 0:23:22- This is really heavy. - Is it really heavy?- Yeah.
0:23:22 > 0:23:25OK, I think I managed to get all the bees off.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27- I hope you got all the bees off!- Yeah.
0:23:30 > 0:23:34So what I'm going to do is - the bees will have
0:23:34 > 0:23:37covered their honey with this cap of wax
0:23:37 > 0:23:40and I need to cut it off so
0:23:40 > 0:23:43that all the honey can come out once we put it in into the extractor.
0:23:45 > 0:23:49This really is one of the best moments in the whole beekeeping
0:23:49 > 0:23:54year. There's something quite satisfying about just
0:23:54 > 0:23:59cutting off the cappings with a hot knife revealing the luscious
0:23:59 > 0:24:02honey down below.
0:24:02 > 0:24:04Lovely. OK, Chris.
0:24:04 > 0:24:07Right, so, I get that.
0:24:07 > 0:24:10We're using a centrifugal extractor,
0:24:10 > 0:24:14which takes the frames into the barrel ready to be spun round.
0:24:17 > 0:24:21And you sort of rest it against the side like that.
0:24:21 > 0:24:24You can get six frames in there.
0:24:24 > 0:24:26This is the best bit.
0:24:27 > 0:24:30Mm, very nice honey.
0:24:32 > 0:24:34Yeah, it's good.
0:24:34 > 0:24:36So you've got... Have you got six?
0:24:36 > 0:24:38- Yeah, all six ready to go. - All right, brilliant.
0:24:38 > 0:24:40My favourite bit. The one bit I like.
0:24:50 > 0:24:54This kind of honey extractor was invented in 1865, by
0:24:54 > 0:24:59an Italian Major, Francisco de Hruschka.
0:24:59 > 0:25:04Before that the only way to get the liquid was to destroy the honeycomb.
0:25:04 > 0:25:09De Hruschka's simple invention meant you could
0:25:09 > 0:25:12take out the honey without damaging the comb -
0:25:12 > 0:25:14which could then be returned to the hive,
0:25:14 > 0:25:17saving the bees a vast amount of time and effort
0:25:17 > 0:25:21re-building it from scratch.
0:25:21 > 0:25:24It revolutionised the honey industry.
0:25:28 > 0:25:30Do you need me to have a go?
0:25:30 > 0:25:32No, it's fine. Yeah, there's plenty
0:25:32 > 0:25:35- coming out at the bottom there. - Is there? Good.- It's all
0:25:35 > 0:25:38on the sides at the moment - just takes a bit of time to drip down.
0:25:38 > 0:25:41Ever thought about us getting an electric one?
0:25:41 > 0:25:44Where's the fun in that?
0:25:44 > 0:25:48I think I might take these out now. I think they're spent as they say.
0:25:48 > 0:25:53Once we've spun all eight frames from the super, it's time to
0:25:53 > 0:25:57tap off the honey and find out how much my angry bees have made.
0:25:59 > 0:26:03- There he goes. Oh, yeah! - Fantastic.
0:26:03 > 0:26:06- Check that out.- I love this bit.
0:26:07 > 0:26:09So much of it, isn't there?
0:26:12 > 0:26:15Wonderful. Yes! We love this.
0:26:15 > 0:26:20There's a lot coming out of that, isn't there?
0:26:20 > 0:26:23Yeah, there we go.
0:26:23 > 0:26:26We filter the honey to get rid of any wax or bits of dead bee
0:26:26 > 0:26:29and then put it in sterile jars.
0:26:29 > 0:26:31First jar of honey. Fantastic.
0:26:44 > 0:26:48One two, three, we've got five pounds out already
0:26:48 > 0:26:50and look how much more there is in there.
0:26:50 > 0:26:52And this is loads.
0:26:52 > 0:26:57At the cottage, my angry bees have had a productive spring.
0:26:57 > 0:27:00Still lots left in there.
0:27:00 > 0:27:02It's not bad, is it, for one super?
0:27:05 > 0:27:08I'm pleased to get so many jars this early on.
0:27:08 > 0:27:10That's good for us, isn't it?
0:27:10 > 0:27:14Yeah. I think, what did we get? 40...42 of those little half
0:27:14 > 0:27:18pound jars, so 21 pounds of honey from one super. Very good.
0:27:18 > 0:27:20It's very good actually, yeah.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23Maybe we should go into business.
0:27:23 > 0:27:25'And now the moment of truth.'
0:27:25 > 0:27:27Right - the first honey of the year.
0:27:32 > 0:27:33Mm, it's nice.
0:27:33 > 0:27:38That's nice, isn't' it? Honey on toast. It's just...
0:27:38 > 0:27:40Well, I'm really enjoying it.
0:27:40 > 0:27:42It's very... Our kind of... Our usual vintage,
0:27:42 > 0:27:45- I would say. Spring honey. - Classic spring honey.
0:27:45 > 0:27:46Yeah, classic spring honey.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53Next time, I learn about the secret of the bees'
0:27:53 > 0:27:55unique form of communication.
0:27:55 > 0:27:59This is the waggle dance. It's the most sophisticated
0:27:59 > 0:28:01form of communication that a non-human can do.
0:28:01 > 0:28:05I discover the powerful properties of Manuka honey...
0:28:05 > 0:28:08In medicine, bugs have become resistant to almost
0:28:08 > 0:28:11everything man made, but never to honey.
0:28:13 > 0:28:16And find out if the bees on the meadow have made my first
0:28:16 > 0:28:18true wildflower honey.
0:28:18 > 0:28:21- That really tastes of wild flowers.- Thank you.