There was certainly a buzz around Festival of Speed last week as Jo Ambrose, beekeeper at Goodwood, successfully relocated a swarm of bees that had taken up residence in a tree next to the start line of the infamous Goodwood Hill climb.
As well as being a beekeeper, Jo works at Goodwood House, so she was on hand to help. She has her own bees at home as well as taking care of the Goodwood bees based at Home Farm. She is on the swarm collectors list for the British Beekeeping Association and has been called to a number of swarms this year to lend a helping hand.
Jo said: “Control called me to say the bees had settled in a tree by the Supercar Paddock. Obviously, they needed removing before FOS so I went up the tree in a cherry picker as it was about 20ft high and collected the swarm in my skep. I was able to put them in a portable hive at the bottom of the tree and leave them to fly all day before going back and picking them up in the dark. They are now happily settled in my garden!”
It's important to Goodwood to rehouse swarms and encourage them to reside somewhere safe instead of ending up in a nearby chimney pot! Bees are not only essential to our survival, they also have a crucial role to play in both plant reproduction and the biodiversity. Without them, trees, shrubs and flowers would not be pollinated and therefore be unable to reproduce. Reproduction of plants in turn ensures the purification of air, continued source of food for other animals and plants and increased yields in commercial farming.
