Bodge

18th October 2025

I was going to call this post ‘To Bee or Not to Bee Two’, but discarded that in favour of something more snappy. ‘To Bee to Bee Two’ and even ‘2B2B2’ were abandoned as too silly. So.

It’s a fortnight since Aaron’s heroic efforts with our wild hive. Hats off to the guy – it worked. After a few lost souls spent two or three days forlornly buzzing around the sealed hole, they moved on. We could hardly believe it, to be honest, but were obviously very pleased. Now, we have learned over the past year that bees are tenacious and love finding a nook or cranny as their new home when your back is turned. The old flamboyant tree probably has holes we’re not even aware of, but we discovered another biggie and, after rolling our eyeballs, decided to try and deal with this one ourselves using materials we had available – namely gutter guard off cuts left over from the roofing work and what remained of the expanding foam used by Aaron.

I can’t say I ascended the ladder with enthusiasm – expecting to be swarmed at any moment by vengeful insects lurking out of sight – but all remained quiet. And so began the bodge.

First: block the hole with half the gutter guard, scrunched up to create a mesh of which any surgeon would be proud.

Second: apply expanding foam. Anyone who’s worked with this stuff knows it has a mind of its own. Not only that, it has a very limited shelf life after being opened. I once had a can which worked perfectly second time around after six years. Lucky me. Far more typical is today’s experience: the tube and nozzle are blocked with solidified foam and you have to cut the bloody end off. Then the pump action seizes up. Result: pathetic dribble of custard which you have to try and insert/smear into the hole with foul language, followed by what’s left of the gutter guard. But perseverance pays! Extra mozzarella, anyone?

And I never liked that gardening glove anyway.

Job done 💪