This week The Joinery has welcomed some new residents - a hive full of beautiful bees.

Now living at the back of the Common Ground Community Garden, the colony is housed in a hive surrounded by an enclosure full of flowers and plants. Our new friends will help to improve the health of the garden, encourage other insect visitors, and maybe even give us some yummy honey!

L - R: Hive enclosure at the back to the Common Ground Garden; bees in our front patch; hive inside the bee area

The Joinery bees are Golden Italians, a strain known for their docile, calm, and gentle temperament. Golden Italians have the widest distribution of all honeybees, and are great all rounders - excellent pollinators, honey-makers, and reproducers. They’re also among the tidiest housekeepers, creating the most impressive looking combs!

When you come to visit our bees, try and wear light coloured clothing and avoid strong scents, and admire them from a distance.

Keep an eye out over the next few weeks for updates on how our new friends are settling in!

Story by Emma Matthews