Country diary: A solid ball of bees, right in front of me – what a stroke of luck | Michael White

Cranbrook, Kent: The swarm has gathered in a plum tree, looking for a new home. And I have just the place There comes this moment in May when I’m still anticipating the fresh green of spring, but looking up at the oak see it in a lustreless summer hue. A little rain would renew its sheen, but it’s been dry for weeks and there is no reprieve from this fleeting sense of loss. Abruptly, there comes a noise, a rising hum almost mechanical in tone, but as I look for the contraption responsible, I see