The Great Hive Move — Off to Halstead Garden Centre 🚚🌼.

💤 Bedtime for Bees
Every great journey starts with a good night’s sleep — even for bees!
The evening before the move, we waited until sunset, when every last forager had returned home. Then, with the steady hands (and extra experience) of Adrian from the Braintree Beekeepers Association, we gently sealed up the hive so no one would be left behind. With the colony tucked in tight, the stage was set for an early-morning adventure.

🚙 A Land Rover, a Beekeeper & a Big Move
At first light, Adrian returned with his trusty Land Rover — fully kitted out with straps, fixings, and all the know-how you could wish for.

Together, we carefully lifted and strapped the hive in place, balancing both the weight of the box and the precious buzz inside. Thanks to Adrian’s calm guidance and hive-moving experience, what could have been a stressful task felt smooth and safe from start to finish.

🌼 A Garden Centre Welcome
After a short journey, the hive arrived safely at its new home: Halstead Garden Centre. Nestled in a quiet, sunny corner surrounded by flowers, it’s the perfect spot for our bees to thrive.

As soon as we opened the entrance, curious little wings darted out to explore. Within minutes, the air was full of scouts buzzing off in every direction, eager to map out their new neighbourhood.

💡 Did you know?
Bees can adapt to a new location as long as it’s more than three miles away from their old one. Any closer and they might accidentally fly back to their original spot! By moving them to Halstead Garden Centre, we made sure they reoriented properly to their new home.

💡 Fun fact:
When bees return to a hive after moving, they don’t just wander in blindly — they perform a “reorientation dance,” looping in the air to memorise their surroundings. It looks like they’re showing off, but really, they’re mapping their new world.

✨ What’s Next?
For now, we’ll let the bees reorient and settle into their new surroundings before doing another full inspection. With so much forage nearby — and easy access for us too — we’re hopeful this is the start of a very happy chapter for Beryl and her colony.

A huge thank you again to Adrian and the Braintree Beekeepers Association. From sealing the hive to steering the Land Rover, his help made all the difference in giving our bees the smoothest move imaginable. 💛🐝