Beekeeping Apprentice

I love it when someone wants to know more about beekeeping.  I can bore for England when it comes to talking about beekeeping, and I LOVE it even more when someone wants to come and look inside a hive.... and I LOVE IT BIG TIME when that person is young and strong and prepared to do some work...but they've gotta get suited up!!

I can't believe my luck! An apprentice to help with spring harvest! Mum came too and  took the photos...even getting her this far was a big achievement as she is distinctly skittish about the idea of being close to bees...

So I thought we's start on the smallest colony...a puff of smoke and a quick demo from me...

 

It must be the fearlessness of youth...but he was straight in there and looking for the queen...

 

Now, I've a confession to make.
I'd warned Jenny that she ran the risk of him enjoying himself so much that they wouldn't be halfway home before she'd get the predictable question..."Mum, can we get some bees?"
I was wrong....
We were half way through the first hive!!!

I obviously need to work my apprentice harder... onto hive number two...

 

or maybe we should make him carry a couple of supers full of honey to extract this afternoon...

Nope....he's still having too much fun.

Lets crack on with the uncapping and extracting, maybe a whole afternoon of being sticky right up to his elbows will put him off....

 

Apparently not...

It seems I've found someone who is nearly as happy as I am to have a jar of honey in his hands.  Clearly he'll be graduating from apprentice beekeeper pretty quickly!