Here in the UK, we have been issued with restrictions regarding social distancing and non-essential visits in order to control/contain/reduce the risk of infection from Covid-19. There has been much talk regarding whether beekeepers can visit their bees, and as I write, DEFRA and the BBKA have issued statements allowing hives to be tended as … Continue reading Homeschooling bees
Category: Observation
Baiting the other hives
I received a top bar hive from a friend of mine who I met at the Barcombe Eco Fair; Caroline is another natural beekeeper and wanted someone with the same beekeeping ethics to have her cedar top bar, as she works mainly with Warrés. It has an inspection window (which I know are rather controversial) … Continue reading Baiting the other hives
Fourth post mortem
One of my students contacted me earlier in the week to say he'd noticed a reduction in flying and a lot of dead bees outside the entrance and behind the mouse guard. They had been foraging and bringing in pollen for the last few weeks which is usually a good sign that the colony is … Continue reading Fourth post mortem
Post mortem number three…
I have had a colony at my apiary which was occupying a brood box full of comb we'd taken out of a feral nest in a wall at Crutches Farm in Winchelsea (see post here). The comb had been piled in and robbed out, but we'd discovered bees bringing in pollen, so moved them over … Continue reading Post mortem number three…
Hive post-mortem
It is always really important to conduct a post-mortem on any hive losses, as it's a vital part of our learning curve with beekeeping. Sadly in many circles, losing hive is regarded as a "failure" which, if you are observing and watching and monitoring your bees rather than working towards a homogenised collection of colonies, … Continue reading Hive post-mortem
More inspection boards
We are due some sporty weather over the net few days due to Storm Brendan passing through, and there is no sign yet of any spring forage, although I did notice the hazel catkins in the field opposite me, and the gorse shrubs - even though they are few and far between in my area … Continue reading More inspection boards
Hive Failure
I went to check on my bees today and see if they were flying, as it is quite mild and the wind has dropped. There was activity with all of them apart from the very late swarm I collected in August. I noticed my stick entrance block had been dislodged so I presumed a mouse … Continue reading Hive Failure
Inspection Boards
At this time of year, I keep an eye on my bees by checking their flights and the Varroa board. Today was rainy and cool so I wasn't expecting any bees to be out, but I did want to check the boards. The Varroa (or inspection) board sits under the mesh floor of the hive, … Continue reading Inspection Boards
The Value of Observation
In a bid to protect my smaller colonies from the cool, damp British winter, a couple of days ago I transferred them from their single-walled Nationals in to double-walled WBCs. I couldn't do this with the National Trust oak tree bees as they had a lot of crossed comb and I can't move the frames … Continue reading The Value of Observation
Insulating hives for winter
I have my bees in National hives with a standard brood box, and have never thought it necessary to insulate them. However, since working with bees in trees and comparing the two environments, I can now see the vast difference in the thermal properties of a tree trunk and a National hive which is made … Continue reading Insulating hives for winter