We were invited last night to go with Stéphane and his father to watch them move part of their bee population to a new site. The acacia blossom has fallen and now the bees must gather pollen and nectar from chestnut trees about 50 kms (31 miles) away.

We set off at about 9 in the evening, just as the sun was getting low in the sky. This is when bees begin to come home to their hives and are at their quietest. It is important to take as many of the colony as possible.

We followed the long flat-bed vehicle carrying a fork-lift truck as it wound through the narrow village streets and lanes towards the village of Tracy-sur-Loire, about 10 kms (6 miles) east of Sancerre.

We paused for 5 minutes on the way so that Stéphane could hand over some queens he has bred for a fellow beekeeper.

Four hives stay in place on each palett.

A part of the forest had been specially cleared for them.

Information about each individual colony is kept under the metal covers and the hives are numbered.

I stayed further back than Hugh since I don't have my own beekeeper's hood and jacket. I saw this tiny flower on a long stalk, a member of the campanula family, which I haven't seen before. Our British harebell looks similar but grows closer to the ground on a fine stem. (To the Scots it is a bluebell).

The hives are secured with these special frames before loading.

The sun was disappearing fairly fast as the men worked. It became difficult to photograph them as they piled the paletts and tied them with strong straps.

The movement of bees and hives is strictly controlled by the authorities. Each journey must be logged and notified to the Mairie of the communes affected. The driver must have enough rest between deliveries to not endanger the population.

The air was full of the smell of honey and of the last bees looking for their hives. When the 40 hives and the fork-lift had been loaded, we waited in the road to watch them start the journey to the new site.

The apiculteur's life is at its busiest from April to July and he must work intensively for at least 12 to 15 hours a day.

This morning Stéphane gave us a whole frame of acacia honey.

I collected all my clean jam jars and we transferred the lot into them. A very sticky, messy but rewarding job.

There is enough honeycomb for all the family at home in England - and plenty more for our friends here and for us.

We are always happy to see Stéphane's pick-up outside the house. It means working with our bees and learning more each time.

Stéphane and Hugh took the roof off the top-bar hive to see how our colony, with its new young Queen Zena, is getting on.

Bees were flying in and out of the hive, not really bothered by these human intruders. When they are approached calmly and quietly they give no trouble. Stéphane has hundreds of hives and always works with bare hands.

The colony have been with us for exactly a week. The queen was sealed inside the little cage Stéphane is holding here. Its end was stoppered with sugar. Later this was eaten by the colony and she was released. This gives the bees time to adjust to her presence and to their new home. Here the men are making sure that she is safely surrounded by her family.

Imagine our wonder and amazement when each of the bars was removed for inspection! The bees have constructed their combs in only 7 days. In commercial hives, frames are already supplied with wax sheets. In the top-bar system, the bees make their own combs with cells to their particular specifications - which vary with each species of honey bee.

See how closely they cluster. Stéphane is pointing to the newly laid eggs.

There is a lot to discuss at this busy-bee time of year. Hugh listens very carefully and makes notes later.

We had a look at the smaller conventional hive where there are fewer bees. This is an older colony, given to us by a neighbour's daughter after he died.

These bees have also been very active. Their brood chambers are coming along nicely.

Later that evening, when the bees in the top-bar hive were quiet and settling for the night, we took off the panel which covers the glass side and peeped in. I felt privileged to have this view of the extraordinary private life of a bee colony.

We are fortunate in having a friend who can teach us about bees. Alain has kept his own hives for many years and treats them organically. We went to look at his bee-friendly garden and to prepare our own new hive. The first one we bought was infected and the bees were diseased.

The outside surfaces of the new hive were treated with a non-chemical sealant and the inside with a disinfecting mixture made with sunflower oil and thyme leaves. The bees appreciate the scent and several came to investigate our work.

Each day last week we gently moved the first hive about 50cms towards a place where they will have more sunlight and will be sheltered from cold wind.

Bee-keeping equipment is fascinating. Alain lit a smoker using hemp and some dried leaves from the garden. Lavender pellets from Provence sweeten the smoke, keeping the bees at bay and making them less aggressive. Meanwhile, Hugh put on his protective jacket with integral hat and his gloves.

I wonder if the French appreciate the pun on the hat's label?

Hugh and Alain looked ghostly in their outfits as they removed the frames and inspected the hive's occupants.

In spite of suffering from mites, the bees now seem in good condition. There is quite a lot of honey on the frames for their winter store.

The frames were treated with the thyme mixture. They will be replaced with fresh frames in the spring. The cover from the old hive was disinfected with smouldering lavender pellets and then thoroughly washed. We are waiting for a new sloping cover.

We have been feeding the bees with a syrup we made from organic sugar, spring water, bee propolis and an infusion of camomile flowers.

After sliding the inner lid and feeder carefully into place so as not to squash any bees, the zinc lid was fitted.

Now we'll leave our bees to their work knowing that our garden and those around it will benefit from their presence.

Click on the pics!