A Week on the Estate: All Abuzz with Gemma
It looks like our summer has stalled for now. The sun did get his hat on towards the end of June but, according to the Met Office, the mean temperature for that month was 12.9C, 0.4C below the long-term average. A kink in the jetstream brought us last week’s burst of warm weather but we had little chance to get used to it before the seasonal norm resumed.
The best we can say for June is that it helped the land to recover from the wet winter and spring, delivering 29% less precipitation than the long-term average. July looks set to be dominated by low-pressure from the North Atlantic, with an expected temperature range of 22C-9C and plenty of showers. Fingers and toes are crossed for a good harvest.
In this week’s news round-up, we’re profiling a remarkable team of Estate workers; they prefer warm weather to cold but their work ethic is impressive and the only payment they require is the chance to get their tongues stuck into flowers. Gemma Kedzior told us all about them.
“I’m buzzing,” said Gemma. “The Saturday Club and the Conservation Club will be taking responsibility for South Ormsby Estate’s honey bees. There was a hive in the Walled Garden but there are big works at the Hall and it was time for a change. I came up with a plan that would let us take over and expand the hives.
“I made a connection with Will Hamilton of The Lincolnshire Wolds Honey Company. Will offered to do talks on bee conservation for both the Saturday Club and the Conservation Club. As it happens, he’s doing one this weekend for the kids. He’s also going to support me and help with hive maintenance.
“Bees are incredibly good for the environment. They help pollinate our crops, we get better grass for the cattle, better yields generally, more birds and all sorts of benefits for the whole ecosystem. We’ll be starting with one colony and refurbishing the old hive. There’ll be a second colony soon and we’re aiming for half a dozen eventually. We’ll also be selling honey so it’s a win-win. There are no negatives.
“I’m honestly in awe of the whole system bees have. I spend my evenings scrolling bee groups on Facebook and thinking up questions to bombard Will with. Our honey bees are currently with Will. They have to be more than three miles away from their original territory before they re-set and get ready to learn a new place. In the meantime, we’ll be researching and setting up new locations on the Estate ready for their return.
