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 |
Broadcasts
- Mon 14 Apr 2014 20:00
- Tue 15 Apr 2014 01:30
- Mon 21 Apr 2014 00:45
- Tue 13 Oct 2015 19:30
- Wed 27 Apr 2016 19:30
- Mon 2 Aug 2021 19:30
- Tue 3 Aug 2021 00:40
- Sun 24 Apr 2022 00:45
- Mon 26 Jun 2023 19:00