Episode 1
Series that follows broadcaster Martha Kearney through her beekeeping year. Things get off to a bad start when unseasonal snow in spring threatens to kill her bee colonies.
Martha Kearney's year gets off to a bad start when unseasonal snow in spring threatens to kill the bee colonies she keeps in her garden in Suffolk. With help from a master beekeeper, Martha feeds her bees and takes one of the hives to a wildflower meadow at a neighbour's house along with two brand new hives.
She discovers the intricate hierarchy within the bee colony and learns how the organisation of the hive has become a metaphor for human society. At a London school, she learns the secrets of urban bees' success even while bees in the country as a whole are in decline. The episode ends with three new hives established on a wildflower meadow, ready to start producing classic British wildflower honey.
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Clip
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Finding the queen bee
Duration: 02:39
Music Played
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Frederick Delius
North Country sketches: Winter landscape
Performer: Ulster Orchestra, Vernon Handley (conductor). -
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Penguin Cafe Orchestra
Chartered Flight
Credits
| Role | Contributor |
|---|---|
| Presenter | Martha Kearney |
| Series Producer | Tom Sheahan |
| Executive Producer | Chris Shaw |
| Executive Producer | Emma Read |
| Executive Producer | Clare Paterson |
| Production Manager | Emma Wood |
| Sound Recordist | Tom Curry |
| Sound Recordist | Joao Do Valle |