The Weybridge division’s teaching apiary has been in the grounds of St Georges Junior School in Weybridge since 2015. In August 2017 the hives were damaged by vandals on three occasions, so the decision was made to move the hives into the garden of a member for the winter period. The original plan was to move the hives back to St Georges in the spring but an alternative site in Ottershaw has since become available. Hopefully this will be less vulnerable to vandalism and will provide a temporary home until a more permanent site can be secured.
On Sunday 12 April a working party of Weybridge members went to St Georges to load paving slabs and the contents of the shed on to a trailer. The shed was then dismantled ready for the journey to Ottershaw. In the evening of the same day, the hives were transported from their winter quarters and placed in the new apiary site.
The 24 students on the 2018 beginner beekeepers’ course began the practical part of the course in the new apiary on 21 April.
