Staff renovating a National Trust Estate in Wales have discovered Britain’s biggest bee bole wall. The 19th century bee hives were renovated as part of work to celebrate 75 years since the Dolmelynllyn Estate, at Ganllwyd near Dolgellau, came into National Trust care.
Originally thought to contain 38 boles (alcoves where the bees were kept in baskets), eight more were discovered during the repair work, making it nearly ten times bigger than the average bee bole wall in Wales and officially the biggest in the UK.
“I can confirm that this is the largest number of bee boles recorded in one wall,” said Penny Walker of the International Bee Research Association Bee Boles Register. “This is remarkable, considering that the average number per property in Wales is 4.9 and in England 5.2.”
Each bee bole would have held a skep, a basket for bees, and although a skep was much smaller than a modern wooden hive, there must have been an unusually high concentration of bees at Dolmelynllyn.
Sadly the boles won’t be returning to their original use – modern beehives are much more healthy places to keep bees – but the wall will be open to the public as part of Dolmelynllyn’s Open Day on Sunday, June 5.
Visitors will be able to take a circular walk of the restored lake on the estate, meet local beekeepers and see vintage tractors and take part in Victorian games.
from the website 24/ found here
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