Honey Still for Tea?

Not for long in Berwickshire? There has been a noticeable lack of honey bees this year-both in the Old Manse and in our new garden at the small-house-in-Duns. Fortunately the bumble bee is still around and doing all the pollinating. Although serious articles have been hard to find on the subject the most recent press article, slight as it is readable here Huttonian went to investigate at the Chain Bridge Honey Farm which is just outside Scotland-about a 3 wood away across the Tweed-and had a rather cautious response to my enquiry ' I don't know. They are keeping very quiet about it' Translation ' Yes; we have a problem but I have been told not to talk about it'. 'They' were not around to interrogate further so I panic bought two jars of Heather Honey and a Comb.

I remember reading recently-not traceable on the User Obstructive Berwickshire News website that the Chain Bridge Farm had abandoned their rural hives-some in Hutton-and were concentrating on the Heather honey in the Lammermuirs where the virus seems not to have penetrated. Their usual cross-- section- watch- the- bees- at- work exhibit had been taken away, presumably because of a lack of workers-who may of course be at the TUC conference. Instead you could enjoy a gigantic mural of most of the Eastern borders-the one with Duns on it is above-click to enlarge and apologies for the poor quality. And with no bees in evidence you had to make do with a gigantic wasps nest. It really is a Marie Celeste exhibit-empty and abandoned.

I didn't really mind

But I would hate to see the Bees take Mankind with them. Huh? It must be true its in the Daily Record. Scare the this (anag) out of yourselves here and be very very nice to any honey bees you come across. And stop worrying so much about the Red Squirrel for the moment- The survival of the Honey Bees are much more important. 'Death where is your sting?'

Quite literally.

Labels: Bee Virus, Honey Farm, Marie Celeste virus

  ¶ 3:30 PM