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Basingstoke & North Hampshire

Welcome tothe Charles Butler 400 Foundation

We are bringing nature and our bee story to inspire schools and communities to tell your story, and encourage a new generation of environmental activists and beekeepers to sustain our natural world.

Our story

Honeybees on a frame lifted from the hive — **Fig. 1.** Bees at work. Placeholder images from Wikimedia Commons, to be replaced with our own.

A honeybee taking nectar from a flower — **Fig. 1.** Bees at work. Placeholder images from Wikimedia Commons, to be replaced with our own.

Latest from the hive

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What's all the Buzz About

Barbara's monthly newsletter will appear here: her letter from the hives, with news of what the bees are up to and what is happening across the Foundation.

This Month: September

This month · January

Keeping warm

The colony huddles in a tight winter cluster around the queen. The bees shiver their flight muscles to keep the heart of the cluster warm, and live on the honey they stored last summer. On a mild, sunny day a few slip out for a quick cleansing flight.

In flower: Winter aconite, hellebore, mahonia

Photo: Mike Faherty, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · February

The queen stirs

As the days lengthen, the queen begins to lay again in the warm centre of the cluster. On bright days the first foragers bring home pollen to feed the new brood.

In flower: Snowdrops, crocus, winter heather

Photo: Jonathanmbradshaw, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · March

First forage

Pussy willow, blackthorn and crocus give the first real loads of pollen, and the colony grows quickly. It is also the hungriest month, when winter stores can run low before spring flowers arrive.

In flower: Willow catkins, blackthorn, crocus, gorse

Photo: Giles Watson from Oxfordshire, England, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · April

Spring build-up

Fruit blossom opens and the colony expands fast. The queen may now lay well over a thousand eggs a day, and the first drones, the male bees, appear.

In flower: Apple and cherry blossom, dandelion, oilseed rape

Photo: Orangeaurochs from Sandy, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · May

Swarming season

Crowded colonies raise new queens, and the old queen leaves with around half the bees to find a new home. A swarm hanging from a branch is a wonderful sight, and usually very gentle.

In flower: Hawthorn, horse chestnut, oilseed rape, sycamore

Photo: M J Roscoe, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · June

Peak strength

A strong colony can now number fifty thousand bees. In some years there is a short lull, the June gap, between the spring blossom and the summer flowers.

In flower: White clover, bramble, field beans, chives

Photo: James Mann from Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · July

The main honey flow

Foragers bring in nectar from lime trees, bramble and clover. Inside, the bees fan it with their wings until it thickens into honey, then seal each cell with a cap of fresh wax.

In flower: Lime, bramble, clover, knapweed, willowherb

Photo: Einebillion, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · August

Winding down

The honey harvest is gathered in. On our chalk downland knapweed, scabious and marjoram are still in flower, while the colony begins to shrink and the drones are turned out of the hive.

In flower: Heather, knapweed, scabious, marjoram, late bramble

Photo: Ryan Hodnett, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · September

Ivy season

Ivy flowers are the last great feast of the year. The colony now raises its long-lived winter bees, which will carry it through to spring.

In flower: Ivy, Michaelmas daisy, late clover

Photo: MurielBendel, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · October

Battening down

On warm days the bees still work the ivy. They seal draughty gaps with propolis, a sticky resin, and beekeepers fit mouse guards across the entrance.

In flower: Ivy, late asters

Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · November

Forming the cluster

As the temperature drops, the bees draw together into their winter cluster and flying almost stops. The colony is now much smaller than in summer.

In flower: Very little: the last ivy, winter-flowering shrubs

Photo: David Squire, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

This month · December

Winter rest

All is quiet. The queen pauses her laying and the colony rests. Around the shortest day she begins again, and the whole cycle turns once more.

In flower: Winter honeysuckle, mahonia

Photo: Evelyn Simak, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. A placeholder until we have our own.

I.
Bees in our Time
We take the bee story into Hampshire schools, village shows and the Willis Museum, showing children and adults how bees live, what they need to thrive and what anyone can do to help.
II.
Nature in Harmony
We bring farmers, landowners, parish councils and conservation groups together to join up habitat into green corridors, starting with a farm cluster west of Basingstoke, so bees and other wildlife can move freely across the landscape. Find out more
III.
Wellness in the Community
Time outdoors with bees and nature is good for people too. We run hands-on sessions and events with schools and community groups, working alongside partners such as Mencap.

Get involved

All the ways to help →

A hive thrives because every bee plays its part. Here is how you can join in.

Donate
Help fund school visits, community sessions and habitat for pollinators.
Ways to give →
Take part
Lend a hand at shows, school visits and community gardens.
Volunteer with us →
Become a Friend
Friends of the Foundation launches next year. Be one of the first.
Register your interest →
Barbara's monthly letter
What's all the Buzz About: news from the hives, every month.
Sign me up →

Welcome tothe Charles Butler 400 Foundation

Latest from the hive

What's all the Buzz About

Bees in our Time

Nature in Harmony

Wellness in the Community

Get involved

Donate

Take part

Become a Friend

Barbara's monthly letter

Charles Butler 400 Foundation

Get in touch

Follow the hives

Welcome tothe Charles Butler 400 Foundation

Latest from the hive

What's all the Buzz About

From the hives

Letters from the hive

Bees in our Time

Nature in Harmony

Wellness in the Community

Get involved

Donate

Take part

Become a Friend

Barbara's monthly letter

Charles Butler 400 Foundation

Get in touch

Follow the hives