Episode 98 The Appprentice And The BeeThe Right Conditions to Emerge
Not all growth is visible … until the moment it happens. These cocoons have been developing quietly over the past 9 months. Now transferred into our hatchery drawer and returned to the Bee Hotel, they’re ready. Positioned south-facing … Sheltered … Waiting. Because when the temperature reaches 15°C … everything changes. Emergence begins. And it’s […]
Episode 97 The Appprentice And The BeeRouted Housings & Newel Joinery
As part of his Advanced Craft studies, one of our 3rd Year Carpentry & Joinery apprentices is progressing through Complex Timber Stair Construction – turning the set-out into real components that must fit first time. In this photo you can see a stringer section and newel posts that have been routed out and prepared to […]
Episode 96 The Appprentice And The BeeThe Bee Hotel Reopens for Spring
With winter behind us, it’s time to prepare our Bee Hotel for the season ahead. In this short clip, one of our Apprentices carefully reinstalls the cleaned Bee Hotel from last season, securing it to the wall before sliding the nesting cassette back into place — ready for the arrival of this season’s solitary bees. […]
Episode 95 The Appprentice And The BeeSetting Out a Complex Stair
As part of his Advanced Craft studies, one of our 3rd Year Carpentry & Joinery apprentices is currently working through Complex Timber Stair Construction at college. On the right-hand side of this photo is a laminated timber stringer in the setting-out stage. This is where the staircase is mapped onto the timber first — carefully […]
Episode 94 The Appprentice And The BeeWinter Rest … Nearly Over
A final check on our Red Mason bee cocoons. A moistened sponge helps maintain the humidity before the container is sealed and carefully hidden within the stacked woodshed – a cool, stable place protected from predators. Soon the cocoons will move to the Bee Hotel’s hatchery drawer, where the warming spring air will trigger their […]
Episode 93 The Appprentice And The BeePreparing for the Skills Test
Next week one of our 4th Year Apprentices returns to college for a ‘Practice Week’ before undertaking her SVQ Level 3 Carpentry and Joinery Skills Test in May. The Skills Test is a rigorous practical assessment taken at the end of a Four-Year Apprenticeship, designed to demonstrate that an Apprentice can work confidently to professional […]
Episode 92 The Appprentice And The BeeA New Bee. A New Season. Our 26th Year Begins
As the first bee of the season emerges from our Bee Hotel, the sound of spring fills the air. For us at Fourply, it’s a fitting moment. The beginning of March marks the start of a new financial year – and the start of our 26th year in business. Just like this bee beginning its […]
Episode 91 The Appprentice And The BeeThe Future of Construction Is Sitting in Our Classrooms
We visited Kelvin College, East End Campus, Glasgow recently with our Fourply Bee Hotels to deliver an employer talk on “Entering the World of Work”. Across two sessions, we met with four groups: ▪ Women in Construction ▪ Youth Start ▪ Pre-Apprentice Joinery (x2) The conversations weren’t just about qualifications. They were about behaviours, responsibility […]
Episode 90 The Appprentice And The BeeInstinct, Persistence… and a Little Confusion
While we eagerly wait for this spring’s bees to hatch from their cocoons, we’re taking a moment to look back at last year’s flight season — and a lovely little moment we captured on camera. In today’s video, a female Red Mason bee returns to one of our bee hotels absolutely coated in pollen. She’s […]
Episode 89 The Appprentice And The BeeProgress in Motion
This week, our Apprentice & The Bee story shifts from the hive to the station platform, as we follow Rachel on the next stage of her development journey. Rachel joined Fourply in October 2024 as an Apprentice Estimator and much like the early stages of a bee’s lifecycle, she wasted no time getting to work. […]
