In 2015 I helped set up a community apiary with Andy Durling in Westham, East Sussex, with sustainable beekeeping at its core. The difficulty with setting up community bee activities is that there is often generous funding to establish the apiary - hives, bees, beesuits, smokers, extractors - but no money to fund the ongoing … Continue reading Forest Garden Bees
Category: Observation
National Trust update
Today I went to Winchelsea for a meeting about the Swift Town plans, and also to check on the bees in the cottage which we tried unsuccessfully to remove a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful day, and the blossom and oil seed rape was out in force. Following the attempted removal at our … Continue reading National Trust update
Oil Seed Rape
This is the current view from my back gate: oil seed rape in full flower. I am an artist as well as a beekeeper and part of me is enthralled by the expanse of bright yellow right outside my back door - and fortunately I don't suffer with hay fever! Sadly though, this is a … Continue reading Oil Seed Rape
Propolis
Propolis is a sticky substance produced by the bees, made primarily from tree resin which they gather all year round, but especially in spring when the sap is more readily available. It also contains wax and pollen, and various aromatic compounds and other plant nutrients which make it a useful hive product for both us … Continue reading Propolis
First hive check
The past few weeks have been warm, sunny and mild here in the UK, and as such, the bees have been out looking for pollen and nectar. I don't normally check my bees until March or even April, but as they have been so active, I wanted to see what was going on and they … Continue reading First hive check
…other than honeybees
I know that beekeepers and domesticated honeybees are often thought to be going against ecological norm by introducing thousands of extra mouths to cater for, artificially feeding them to promote productivity, introducing alien pests and unnatural genes with imported, inseminated queens, and generally encouraging a skewed balance of nature. However, my apiary where the are … Continue reading …other than honeybees
More on Plants, Pollination and Bees
Bees talk to flowers. Talk isn't strictly correct, as this is not verbal communication, but communicate they definitely do. And if we witnessed the conversation, we would think of it as talking. Plants carry a very weak negative electrical charge, because although they are rooted in the ground and are therefore earthed, they are exposed … Continue reading More on Plants, Pollination and Bees
First flights
It was a positively balmy 10˚C this morning, and returning home from running errands, I noticed the snowdrops are also out in number, and the crocuses are endeavouring to get their heads up and catch some of the fleeting sunshine. Tiny hazel flowers hold enough nectar to tempt an insect in need of sustenance. I … Continue reading First flights
Comb building
I was going through some of my files and discovered this: https://youtu.be/821uVRAcZ1I I think it brilliantly shows how the bees build their comb, and why I don't use foundation. Worker bees exude little flakes of wax from glands in their abdomen, and mould them with their mandibles in to the familiar hexagonal cells. The bees … Continue reading Comb building
Plants, Pollination and Bees
I am a member of my local(ish) beekeeping group, and last night we were given a fascinating talk by the extremely knowledgeable Malcolm on the finer points of pollination, and the adaptations the honeybee has evolved to facilitate this relationship between flower and insect. This is a huge topic, so here is the first instalment... … Continue reading Plants, Pollination and Bees