The Creation is the largest observation hive at Blackhorse, with an available volume of over 575 litres. Factory sealed double glazing units are fitted on three sides, and covered with insulated wooden panels when not in use. The sliding floor can be removed so a beekeeper can stand inside the chamber, and the pitched roof tilted back to gain access to the 'ceiling' of the chamber, which is actually made up of grooved bars to which the bees attach their comb. Each bar can be removed and fitted with a 'starter' strip of wax to encourage the bees to begin in the right place. The colony was established in the summer of 2002, although persuading the bees to occupy such a large empty volume wasn't straight forward! Once established, the brood combs were parted and one of two temperature sensors was placed at the centre of the brood nest, the other was used to measure the ambient temperature of the chamber itself. A record of the temperature observations made in the following autumn and winter can be seen by selecting the chart opposite, the orange bar marks the day of the winter solstice. The two other pictures show the brood nest that autumn, and the winter cluster breaking up as the hive is opened.