Setting Up A Permanent Observation Hive With Cotswold Bees

Today Chris is at Adam Henson’s Cotswold Farm Park setting up the observation hive before the park opens in a few days time. With a little assistance from one of Adam’s herd (watch the outtake at the end) Chris transfers the nuc of bees into the observation hive ready for the visitors to the park to have a superb view into the wonderful world of bees.
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[@bincagz6112]

This is the video i want to watch to transfer colony of bees in the backyard to start my bee keeping😊

[@cotswoldbees]

Great. Good luck

[@dubliner1100]

Fantastic video as usual Chris, you are a true ‘gentle’ man 🙏

[@cotswoldbees]

Thank you. I’m glad you enjoyed the video.

[@nigelmoore9657]

Superb!!!!! Enjohyed that so much!!!!! Nigel Moore.

[@cotswoldbees]

Thanks. I’m glad you enjoyed it.

[@DarwinAlex-c8y]

So great and good lesson I have learnt

[@cotswoldbees]

I’m so pleased.

[@rodneymiddleton9624]

Really nice observation hive. Gives me a idea to make one for our children(and me) in the Bee Shed wall so they can see them and not risk getting stung.

[@جهنمالحمراء-ض9ث]

Nice 👍

[@cotswoldbees]

Thanks

[@santoshjabegu4493]

Wow nice

[@cotswoldbees]

Thanks

[@dolezalhoneybees9329]

Awesome video! When you do inspections do you have to turn the brood frames around so that brood is shown on the glass viewing side? I’m asking because I know queens don’t like light, so they probably don’t lay on the light side? Thank you!

[@cotswoldbees]

I try and let them lay in the dark as much as possible but sometimes I turn them around.

[@weirjwerijrweurhuewhr588]

What do you mean by 'permanent'? They will quickly outgrow an 8 frame and they cannot cluster in winter? Do you move them into a regular hive for winter?

[@cotswoldbees]

They are only in there in the summer and carefully managed. In autumn they are moved to a full hive to overwinter.

[@weirjwerijrweurhuewhr588]

@@cotswoldbees Then it makes sense yes, the use of 'permanent' in title confused me. Very cool observation hive though!

[@fgb3126]

Why "syrup"? and not honey? And what kind of syrup? Does the observation hive have a glass front?

[@cotswoldbees]

Never feed bees honey unless it’s from their own supplies it can be a source of disease. The syrup I use is a commercially produced one but you can mix your own using one pound of granulated white sugar to one pint of water. Yes, it has a glass front.