Copped Hall Bees, 2020

The restored Walled Garden at Copped Hall relies on its hives of bees to pollinate the fruit and vegetable plants. On a sunny day in April I recorded the insects using a crossed pair of Rode M5 microphones on a (long!) boom pole, while birds sang in the background. The recording was made during the Coronavirus crisis and there was little or no noise pollution from aircraft. Also, the M25, which is close to Copped Hall, has been significantly quieter than normal.

I recorded this as part of a university project to reconstruct the soundscapes of the 1750s when Copped Hall was built. The sound is very evocative of spring and summer in a country garden. My previous attempts at recording bees have been unsuccessful because of unwanted sounds and because in the winter and on overcast days there’s much less activity around the hives.