@JustJenny Well I'm not usually one to give up easily but I've never encountered another pursuit where so very many things can go wrong! It did leave me with an enormous respect for people like you who persevere with it 🙏 As for my bees still being with me, this summer I was carrying a bowl of raspberries through the wood where one of the "tree hives" is and a small swarm of bees flew down, stung my neck and chased me out of the wood. Just another 🐝 fiasco!

@JustJenny Impressed that you not only found the Queen, but got a pic! I tried beekeeping, but quickly dubbed myself "The World's Worst Beekeeper". It was like Paddington taking up beekeeping. Pretty much every possible fiasco happened to me and my two hives. So when the bees all swarmed off (of course) two years ago, I just gave up. To pour salt in the wound, I recently discovered that there are hives up in trees near the spot where "my hives" were, so I assume that's where "my bees" went! 🤣