This month IPM had the privilege of installing two bee hives at Watchmoor Park. Before they could be installed we had to find the right location, this needed to be somewhere with a good water source but it also needed to be a secluded spot where the bees wouldn’t be harmed.
With some help and advice it was decided that the best place was at the end of the site along the tree canopy close to the pond, not too far from Sainsburys (in case the bees wanted to go shopping for honey instead!). Once this was agreed, our maintenance team cleared the brush and weed growth in a 20m2 section. Our tree team then came in and removed the dead trees, they also raised the canopies as the bees need shelter but it was important the branches weren't too low around the hives.
Once the area was cleared, Surrey bees came onto site with two hives and around 20,000 bees. It was imperative to the colonies that the two queen bees were kept safe during the transition, so they had their wings clipped to ensure they would stay in the hives. It was great to see our client Tara get suited up and take a closer look with how it all worked.
IPM were thrilled to be able to help Watchmoor Park with their Biodiversity and Environmental plans and we look forward to seeing the bees thrive in their new home.