Flower power in Muthill. . . it’s the bees’ knees

Happy summer news from Coorie Inn Recently, Phill and Andrew traded their chef’s whites for gardening tools. They've been working hard to spruce up the village square, making sure it looks its best for summer. Coorie Inn gave a helping hand to our lovely local group, Muthill in Bloom, by donating 250 bedding plants and lavenders to the group for their recent plant sale day. The donation helped to raise a whopping £4157.24! Plant donations aside, both Phill and Andrew rolled up their sleeves and put some muscle into the community facelift by helping to clear weeds and laid fresh gravel - and yes, we have pics to prove it! The flower power continued at Coorie Inn with the restaurant now bursting with summer vibes thanks to a gorgeous new floral display inside and out. The front entrance has been brightened up with fresh, vibrant hanging baskets. Have you had the chance to see them?

PLUS… Phill and Andrew finally became beekeepers… In other news, we are buzzing with excitement, having finally set up our own apiary near Crieff. We are now

the proud owners of two bee colonies which is a huge step for our sustainability goals. We've been waiting for this for ages! With the first swarm, we had a mini hive setup with a frame of an old comb from another hive, and some additional frames of foundation comb for the bees to build on. We simply set it up and after just seven days a swarm had moved in. Our second swarm was more unexpected, having responded to a social media request posted on a local Facebook group. A second swarm of bees was discovered on a fence

post in a nearby field so we contacted our amazing bee mentor, Mary MacNaughton to get her guidance on how we could rescue them safely. Under her expert supervision, Andrew collected the swarm into a box, using a similar method to the first collection, though this time, the bees had to be brushed into the container. After capturing the majority, including the queen, the rest of the bees naturally joined the others. This new swarm was then moved to our apiary, increasing our total hives to six. Our bees are doing great in their hives, and we're really looking forward to our first honey harvest next year. Getting us in the mood, we’ve even added some delicious honey based dessert dishes to our summer menu. There’s a real buzz about the place!