Buckfast Abbey

[nantmoel]

Digging my way through loads of photographs and found these, I would guess I took them around 1985-86 on one of my many visits there. I'm sure I have more of Brother Adam and Peter Donavan somewhere.

 

[Walrus]

Interesting. I have some from much earlier taken by David Kemp, when that wooden fence was a perfectly manicured hedge.

 

[deemann1]

Very nice apiary looks pristine, what hives are they

 

[B+.]

Very nice apiary looks pristine, what hives are they

If I recall correctly, Br Adam had home-made 11 frame Dadant (10 frames + follower board so they had space to get the frame out easily).

 

[Michael Palmer]

Nice. Where on the grounds was the apiary. I see a bit of stone wall in one photo. Are the bee boles located in that wall.

 

[Repwoc]

I think the apiary is to the north of the conference centre car park - the area I've highlighted on the satellite image. The building + path leading to it in Nantmoel's photos can be seen.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...d710666f585!8m2!3d50.491333!4d-3.777466?hl=en

 

[Repwoc]

This time with attachment!!!

 

[nantmoel]

I think the apiary is to the north of the conference centre car park - the area I've highlighted on the satellite image. The building + path leading to it in Nantmoel's photos can be seen.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place...d710666f585!8m2!3d50.491333!4d-3.777466?hl=en

Thanks for posting that, I have in fact found another picture where his hives have been double BB'd, these must have been his cell raising colonies.

 

[nantmoel]

here is a picture of Brother Adam's Dadant hives double brood boxed, I think he did this when he was raising queen cells, if you look in the distance you will also see other hives that have double BB's.

 

[Beefriendly]

Thanks for posting the pictures.
I'm intrigued by the ramps leading up to the entrances of the hives. A sort of ground to entrance landing board. Anyone have any information about them and why Br. Adam used them? I can't recall them being mentioned in any of his books. There must be a reason somewhere.....

 

[Walrus]

Thanks for posting the pictures.
I'm intrigued by the ramps leading up to the entrances of the hives. A sort of ground to entrance landing board. Anyone have any information about them and why Br. Adam used them? I can't recall them being mentioned in any of his books. There must be a reason somewhere.....

It was so that a clipped queen that attempted to swarm could crawl back

 

[birdsandbees]

Bees love a landing board, the bigger the better

I visited Buckfast Abbey a couple of years ago, I was amazed that there was no information regarding B Adams work with Bees to be found anywhere, I did wonder where the Apiary would have been so that has satisfied my curiosity.
I also worked out where the isolation Apiary was and went to see it, unfortunately I discovered that access is via a private road so could go no further, I know now that it is still being used by a forum member which is nice to know.

 

[Cuckmere couple]

interesting

wonder how they cut the grass so neatly around them...at night?

 

[Beefriendly]

interesting

wonder how they cut the grass so neatly around them...at night?

Nope, whenever they wanted to, these were Buckfast bees....

 

[Beefriendly]

It was so that a clipped queen that attempted to swarm could crawl back

Interesting Walrus. Might try that for on a few hives this year.

 

[Finman]

Thanks for posting the pictures.
I'm intrigued by the ramps leading up to the entrances of the hives. A sort of ground to entrance landing board. Anyone have any information about them and why Br. Adam used them? I can't recall them being mentioned in any of his books. There must be a reason somewhere.....

I have used such landing boards whole my life without any reason. They are just handy.

 

[charlievictorbravo]

Bees love a landing board, the bigger the better

I visited Buckfast Abbey a couple of years ago, I was amazed that there was no information regarding B Adams work with Bees to be found anywhere, I did wonder where the Apiary would have been so that has satisfied my curiosity.

Like you. I visited the abbey some years ago and was surprised that more was not made of the Brother Adam. I eventually found the on-site apiary, after asking a lot of people but there was no information about what had happened there. I did find one poorly printed A4 bio-pic of BA and there is this on the abbey's website. I got the distinct impression that they wanted to forget about BA - he may have been a difficult person to get along with!

CVB

 

[Frizzaldo]

here's the streetview:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.4...JQEKTLCNS5azc0d3xU-Q!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

very similar to your last picture:

some bushes growing over the walls

 

[Walrus]

Here it is back in 1965 (Photo by David Kemp, assistant to BA 1964-74).

The hives came from America made by A.I.Root. Adam used to run 10 frames plus a division board in a 12 frame box, and they were bottom bee space unlike normal Dadants.

For cell builders he used double brood; he'd collect frames of sealed brood from out apiaries & bring them back to the home apiary, so the brood boxes were bursting with nurse bees at grafting time.

The 3 beekeepers at the time were Brother Adam, Brother Pascal and David Kemp.

 

[Fusion_power]

Sloping entrance ramps have two uses. One is so a clipped queen can get back in the hive. The other is that heavily loaded returning foragers often miss the entrance. Giving them a simple way into the hive increases honey production measurably. I don't recall details, but there was a study done about 60 years ago comparing production between hives with and without entrance ramps. The results were in favor of ramps.