The Solar Bee Project is not only about honey bees; biodiversity is also a core aim. Honey bees are not endangered, but encouraging an awareness and provision for these well-known and much-loved insects provides a focal point for wider biodiversity challenges. The site at Berwick is valuable for its low intervention and lack of disturbance. …
Late Spring Check of the Thermosolar Hives
We went to see the Thermosolar bees this week to see if they had built up any more since the last inspection. It was a very bright and breezy day at the solar farm, and both hives were flying well. We took the inspection boards out to check for Varroa: There were a few wax …
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Now more than ever…
...we need to invite, encourage, and celebrate the wildlife in our gardens. A recent report by Buglife and Kent Wildlife Trust confirms what we all have observed (or rather, have not observed) on our windscreens and number plates: insect numbers have declined dramatically. My friend drives to Scotland each year in August. In a Landrover. …
Mayday Thermosolar Visit
It has continued to be cold and breezy recently, but I really wanted to make sure the bees were ok as there have been a lot of colony losses near me. Both hives were flying - as before, the original hive was quieter. I checked inside each hive to see how they were building up. …
Blossoms and Gardens
I only had two colonies here, and neither were looking terribly strong so I wasn't surprised that neither made it. What has surprised me is the number of people with strong colonies that have become beeless this spring, (that is to say, the 4 people in my lane who keep bees) and I am hoping …
Bird Flu: why shutting hens in is NOT the answer
There is a still a "very high risk" of avian influenza here in the UK, and we are required to keep our poultry separate from wild birds. Although I understand and respect the reasoning for the reduced freedom of our poultry, I suspect a greater part of the high transmission is caused by the loss …
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Wild-living Honey Bees
I went to visit the bees at Selmeston which are living in dilapidated Langstroths as I wanted to see how active they were in the good weather. The larger hive seemed very quiet, and on closer inspection it turned out that the bees were nowhere to be seen. I couldn't find any trace of them …
Thermosolar Visit in the Sunshine
What a glorious spring day! I wanted to see if the colonies were flying and bringing in pollen as it was such lovely weather. The wind was still pretty chilly so I decided against opening them up but it was good to see the leaves starting to appear on the hedgerow trees, and sure enough, …
Wayward Gardening
I have been pondering how to make best use of my garden, now that the chickens are [mostly] contained, and I am very conscious of the looming supply problems we will inevitably face thanks to the Russians invading Ukraine, one of our major grain producing areas in Europe. There's also the death throes of the …
Early Spring Thermosolar Visit
It was raining when I arrived at the Berwick solar farm today, but I'd been to visit a friend nearby and wanted to make sure the bees were ok after Storms Eunice and Franklin. There wasn't much flowering apart from some brave blackthorn blossoms, and I was not expecting to see the bees flying. There …
Wayward Bee 