The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney

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BBC Four HD

BBC Four

Martha Kearney

Tom Sheahan

Chris Shaw

Emma Read

Clare Paterson

Emma Wood

Tom Curry

The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney: Episode 3

Documentaries

Episode 3

BBC Four - The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney, Episode 3

When one of her hives swarms, Martha's neighbours leap to the rescue.

Series following Martha Kearney through her beekeeping year. In spring, as the colonies become overcrowded the bees become likely to depart in a swarm with the queen.

Spring has well and truly sprung and the hives are going from strength to strength, but that brings with it a problem of its own - the swarm. As the colonies become overcrowded, the bees become likely to depart in a swarm with the queen, leaving just a few behind to rear a new queen. It's a natural process, but for the beekeeper it can be a disaster, leaving the hive all but empty with little prospect of a harvest of honey. 

Martha discovers methods to control the swarms, including clipping the wings of the queen, but she also meets a natural beekeeper for whom wing clipping is horrifying. When one of her hives swarms, Martha's neighbours leap to the rescue and she harvests the first honey of the year.

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Factual: Pets & Animals

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

The series follows Martha Kearney's bee-keeping year and explores the ingenious honeybee.

Series which follows Martha Kearney's bee-keeping year and explores the science, art and culture of the honeybee, the most ingenious insect known to humankind.

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