10. Bugs and Bees

All manner of insect life live within the vine canopies, the vineyard floor and the wild grass margins. Invertebrates make up most of the animal life on earth, with 40,000 species in the UK alone! To provide them with somewhere to live we have created their very own Manor House. Inside the ‘bug manor’, we have created habitats which are suitable for a wide variety of species.

The Surrey Hills are lucky to have an incredibly diverse range of insects, from horned treehoppers to forest bugs. We hope that the lure of their own manor house will encourage many of them to permanently relocate to the estate. 

Alongside the bug manor, the local bee population has been enhanced by the introduction of hives under the watchful eye of our local beekeeper. Over the past ten years, we have grown from one to six hives.

At the height of summer, there will be around 35-40,000 bees in each hive, however during winter this falls to around 5,000. The winter bees live for several months whereas their summer colleagues only live for a few weeks. There are three types: a single queen, thousands of female worker bees and in the summer hundreds of male drones.

Although vines are themselves self-fertile and do not rely on pollinators such as bees, the hives reflect our broader commitment to sustainable practices and the welfare of our surrounding countryside.

 

 Three beekeepers tending to the hives

 

For Children: 

Did you know: Bees have 5 eyes. These are made up of two large ‘compound’ eyes, one on each side and three ‘simple' eyes arranged in a triangular formation on the top of the bee’s head. 

 

A Horned Treehopper

 

Navigation: 

Turn right and walk down row 129 until you reach the bottom of the hill then turn right and walk for about 50m with the vineyard on your right where you will see the next stop on your left. Here you will learn all about the dormice which currently live in Chilworth.