05/10/2026
🐝 So… today we became beekeepers! 🐝😂
We’ve had the most fabulous — and slightly nerve-wracking! — day learning what it’s like to be beekeepers, thanks to the wonderful Jackie and Ned from the Canterbury Bee Association.
Back in May, a colony of bees decided that the wall of our garage looked like the perfect place to set up home. 🐝🏡
Rather than evict our unexpected tenants, we asked Jackie and Ned to help us safely rehome them. Today, we finally got to be involved in the process from start to finish.
And yes… we got to wear the full bee suits! 🐝👨🚀😂
There is something quite surreal about standing there in a big protective suit with thousands of bees buzzing around you! We were definitely a little nervous to begin with, but once we got stuck in, it was absolutely fascinating.
Jackie and Ned patiently showed us what to do and helped us carefully relocate the colony into their new home. The job is actually still in progress as I type, so we’re keeping everything crossed that our little swarm settles in happily! 🤞🐝
We learned so much about these amazing creatures and just how incredibly organised life inside a hive is.
A few facts we picked up along the way…
🐝 Worker bees only live around 5–6 weeks in summer — and they spend pretty much their entire lives working!
👑 The queen can live for several years and can lay up to thousands of eggs a day during peak season. Talk about a busy schedule!
🐝 A thriving hive can contain 40,000–60,000 bees or even more in the height of summer.
🌸 Bees don't just stay inside the hive. Worker bees can fly several miles from home to collect nectar and pollen before returning to the hive.
🕺 And perhaps the best fact of all… bees dance! Their famous “waggle dance” helps them tell the other bees where they’ve found a good source of food.
🍯 And all those thousands of tiny workers are working together as one incredible colony — cleaning, feeding young bees, building honeycomb, guarding the hive and collecting food.
It has definitely given us a whole new appreciation for these little creatures and the incredibly important job they do. 🐝🌍💛
A huge thank you to Jackie and Ned for lending us the suits, sharing their knowledge and letting us get involved in such a fascinating experience.
We may not be giving up our day jobs to become professional beekeepers just yet… but we certainly have a new respect for anyone brave enough to open a hive! 😂🐝🍯
