W.B.C. Hives.

These beehives, designed by William Broughton Carr in around 1890, are the common idea of how a hive should look. The idea is that the double walls should keep the bees warm and dry but, while it is a laudable concept, no one has yet been able to show that the bees appreciate this act of kindness. I would imagine that a hundred million years of evolution has made the physiology and behaviour of the honey bee such that it is largely immune to the vagaries of the British weather.
 
These particular examples are sited at the House of the Binns and are owned, as is the house, by Tam Dalyell who was the local M.P. for many years. Our U3A group had arranged an out of season visit for today and both Tam and Kathleen Dalyell were there to greet us. It seems that it is standard practice for the hosts to ask if any group has an apiarist amongst its number and so it was my duty to discuss bees, diseases, winter losses, forage, and a host of related topics for a while – a duty that I was glad to perform. Surprisingly, despite the cold wind, the bees were out gathering pollen though not with too much enthusiasm
 
Since it was built by Thomas Dalyell in 1612, it has remained the home of the family, and in 1944 became the first property to be gifted to the National Trust for Scotland although the family do retain the right to live there. We will try to return in the summer to visit the gardens which have spectacular views over the Forth.