A Beekeeper’s Job is Never Done
The St Mary with St Alban's bees have been in the burial grounds for over three years now and are settling in well. Beekeepers, Peter and Claudie Godet, said: "They are provided with a beautiful array of flowers from spring to autumn thanks to the Churchyard Gardeners, and the 'No Mow May' council policy. As winter approaches, and the nights turn cold, the bees start to cluster, venturing out only on sunny days above 12°C and need less attention from us beekeepers.
"Therefore we can devote our time to other aspects of beekeeping such as cleaning and ordering beekeeping equipment ready for the next season. Additionally, we have undertakings such as jarring honey and making beeswax candles ready for sale at the Parish Hall.
"In late summer, honey which was extracted from the combs, was filtered and stored. This is now being bottled and labelled by us into 4.5 oz (130 gm) and 8 oz (227 gm) jars. Equally the extracted wax from the combs was filtered several times, ready to make candles. All candles are 100% pure beeswax, which originates from our bees and is processed by us, the beekeepers."