Honey Shipping Inc.

A Not So Suitable Home

This hive set up in a shipping container. Unfortunately they didn't consider the summer heat.

A Home Within A Home

A Not So Suitable Home

The shipping container had been used as storage for furniture that was no longer needed. This old cupboard made a great cavity for the hive to establish themselves in.

Hanging Around

A Not So Suitable Home

Different Perspective

This was the first relocation we have had that the bees were so kind as to set up in a way where we only had to open a door to gain access to the hive.

Different Perspective

Looking up at the hive from underneith shows just how complex the beehive structure can become. The bees are great at slowly filling up all the available space.

I'm Melting

Different Perspective

I'm Melting

In peak summer the tempreture in this shipping container reached the point where the wax comb began to melt. Sometimes this will cause the bees to abandon their home - Heat Swarming - in this case they decided to stick around and rebuild.

Robbers In Action

Not all the bees in this photo are from this hive. As we started to frame up the comb and put it into the new hive another group of bees appeared and began robbing the existing hive of honey. We now had to work faster to secure the hive and minimise the impact of an invading hive while bees fought battles all around us.

All Secure

Robbers In Action

With the comb secured and the queen captured the original hive now had a much smaller entrance to guard which made it much easier for them to repel the invaders.

All Clear

Robbers In Action

All Clear

Once again after a few days having the new hive onsite the bees finish cleaning up the old hive and are now resting peacefully in their new home.