The bees in the woodland hives were very busy in August but the very mixed weather and cold nights has made it a less than average year for honey.
The 2017 swarm was too busy growing to give any spare honey but the two year old swarm from the Market Square provided around 20 lbs of woodland honey. The Lichfield urban hive provided the same; not much in total but enough to replace the stock sold to the kind members of the Coven WI who bought in July and to raise some money for the charity.
The Open Day on August 20th saw numbers grow to 30, with locals enjoying seeing how the bees live and to see the forest harvest. There were apples, plums, pears, damsons in the orchard, plenty of beans, squashes, sweetcorn and potatoes in the raised beds, raspberries, gooseberries, blackberries, hazel nuts, walnuts, meddlers and quinces in the forest garden.
Of course humans weren’t the only visitors to the Mill in August, swallows and swifts during the day enjoyed a feast from the wildlife pond, the bats enjoying the same food source at night.
Lovely dragon flies and damselflies also flourished.
August was a good month to end Forest Harvest’s year, and first year as a charity.
It was felt by the trustees and the regular volunteers that everyone’s expectations had been met and targets reached.
The Charity has already reached out to other organisations and communities but the focus in 2018 will be to further develop these links and grow new ones.
Talking about future projects, the first Dovehouse Fields meeting is on 1st September to decide if it will be possible to help develop a community garden here in Lichfield, where some old allotments had been abandoned?
