A new home for the bees: setting up the apiary

Of everything we've taken on at Hamar Croft, the bees have humbled us the most. Our first go at keeping them was a hard one — the sort that shows you exactly how much you've still to learn. So this time we're doing the groundwork properly, and it starts with giving them a proper home: a new apiary, cleared and prepared before the hives settle in for good.

The clearing we'd chosen had all but disappeared under bracken — chest-high in places, the way it runs away with a Highland summer. Rather than reach for weedkiller, we did it the slow way, working across the ground on foot and pushing the fern flat by hand until the clearing came back. We grow no-spray right across the croft, and we weren't about to make an exception on the very ground the bees forage over.

Over the flattened bracken we laid weed-proof membrane. It's a humble bit of kit that makes a real difference to an apiary: it stops the bracken and grass swallowing the hives again, gives us a dry, firm footing to work from during inspections, and keeps the hive entrances clear so the bees can come and go without battling through undergrowth. A tidy, open apiary is simply a safer one to keep — for the colony and for the beekeeper.

We didn't do it on our own. Dan's mum, Tracy, was up staying with us, and she and Zyra took charge of pegging the membrane down — working along the edges, driving the pegs home, and keeping everything taut against the evening breeze. It's fast becoming our favourite thing about this place: the jobs that are lighter, and a good deal more fun, with family working beside you.

It's a fine spot for them. The clearing sits sheltered among the birches, catches the low sun morning and evening, and looks out toward the heather that will, in its own time, give our honey its flavour. With the ground properly prepared, the colonies can settle the way they deserve.

There's no rush for honey — the bees come first, and they'll want this season to build their strength. But a well-set apiary is the beginning of everything we're hoping for from them. We'll let you know how they get on.