I started my beekeeping journey back in 2009, when following a particularly interesting module of my Natural Sciences degree with the Open University, I learnt about superorganisms and eusociality, aka colonial insects. I realised that it was possible to keep one’s very own social insects – honey bees! – but I quickly became confused and disillusioned by the instructions I was given for looking after … Continue reading Unsustainable Beekeeping
Wow – what a difference a day (or two) makes. A few days ago my bees were flying, and I was even able to put together a video post for my patrons as I headed down to the apiary to check the entrances and inspection boards. Bees cluster up together to keep warm in the winter, and it’s important that they aren’t disturbed at this … Continue reading Bees in a Snowy Winter
We have had a lot of rain, stormy weather, and low temperatures here in the south east over the past couple of weeks so apart from strapping down the hives against Storm Bella, I’ve not been over to the apiary. It was cold and damp today, but I wanted to have a look at the inspection boards on the hives that have them to see … Continue reading Midwinter Apiary Visit
I designed this poster a few years ago, as I wanted an aide memoire that was less focussed on traditional beekeeping, and more about honey bees. If we want to keep bees in tune with their natural development and lifecycle, it’s important to have a greater understanding of how bees function and many of the visual resources use beekeepers holding frames, smokers, honey extraction, marked … Continue reading Beekeeping Poster
Some of us, (and by that I mean me), are looking forward to autumn and a quieter time of year regarding all things Outside. The bees are preparing for winter, so have ousted the drones, who by now will have missed their chance to contribute to the next generation. The foragers are gathering both pollen and nectar to build up their stores for winter. Some … Continue reading Winterising your hives
Beekeeping is more than just keeping bees, and right now, with the world in a state of flux, I feel it is more important than ever. Not, I hasten to add, because we should all be installing hives, but an understanding of a bee colony allows us to connect with the interactions of nature so much more effectively than anything else. We see bees come … Continue reading What can beekeeping teach us?
I collected a swarm on May 7th, which was a cast from a beekeeper’s hives. They were low down in a shrub, so not a difficult collection! I put them in a nuc box and checked them ten days later as they were certainly not tiny enough to definitely be a cast, so I wanted to make sure they weren’t bowling along and running out … Continue reading Patience…
I often hear beekeepers say that it’s not too late to lose your bees even in March, usually with a reference to feeding. I was asked by some friends (and former students of mine) to do a PM on their hive as the colony – having been active earlier a few weeks previously – had died. This colony had swarmed the previous year and also … Continue reading Spring loss
It was the first proper warm day of spring yesterday so I was able to get in to my hives, and also transfer a colony over from a WBC to their new home (a National), ready to be transported in a few weeks when they have propolised the frames to the box for security. With the fist check, I am really just seeing where they … Continue reading First Spring check
Even though my hives are just across the road from me, I’m trying to limit my visits to the apiary in light of “The Restrictions”, and when I go, I wear overalls and take a hat/veil with me just to be on the safe side. However, I wanted to make sure they were ok and have a look at the boards. The weather has been … Continue reading Spring Inspection boards
