First we had a bit of a lecture on pesticides & genetically modified foodstuffs upsetting the natural order of things, and in particular upsetting the life of bees!
I won't repeat it all here - realise I have been a bit preachy in some of my recent posts! - but I was surprised to learn that France is the 3rd highest user of pesticides in the world - after the USA and Japan!
French beekeepers are demonstrating about OMG maize legislation this week - so now you know - hot of the press - you heard it here first!
Raymond did a good sales job, explaining that these were good examples of the type of healthy swarms we could buy if we order through the school - I'm getting very tempted, but sticking to the plan of completing the course and ordering both hive and swarm for next year.
On a fashion note, I wore a straw hat under the bee combi & veil, and it worked better - less slippage - and no stings - but then, we were dealing with the gentle Buckfast... They are also meant to give lots of honey, but presumably because they make lots of honey, they also like to eat lots of food, so when you take their honey away, if there is a lean period without many flowers, you have to feed them sugar or syrup. Only fair I suppose, if you have taken their honey away !