Beekeepers in Hillworth Park

For over two years, Hillworth Park in Devizes has been undergoing a £2 million revamp.  It is now finished and has become a much needed leisure resource for the people of Devizes.   It opened while I was away in Germany, and after hearing good reports about  it, I walked there on Saturday afternoon to see for myself what a lovely place it is.  The Park was hosting a "Natural Crafts Day" which included exhibitions by woodturners, sculptors, weavers, and a stall run by the "Kennet Beekeepers Association." 

 

Busy bees are fascinating little creatures.  A 100 or so were captured in a display box with a honeycomb, so that the public could get a close view of the bee's  activities.  Much tail wagging could be seen, which is a bee's way of communicating information to his friends.   They were probably saying, "How on earth do we get out of this box?" to one another!  An enthusiastic beekeeper told us about the structure of the hive, with the "queen bee" producing all the eggs that become either workers or drones.  When a queen becomes less productive, the bees decide a new one is needed, and feed one egg with Royal Jelly which makes the new queen, who then kills her predecessor.   It's a hard life in a bee hive!

 

 

Above is a photo of the 18th century Queen Anne Pavilion, a Grade ll listed building built between 1740 and 1759 during the reign of George ll.  It was possibly used as a small summer house, where the owners of "Hillworth House" could eat and drink while they sat in the garden and viewed their estate.  More information can be read on:

Hillworth Park, Devizes : home www.hillworthpark.org.uk/