Here is a little vid about the swarm I collected on Thursday, as well as looking at some beautiful red pollen going in to one of my other hives. Lots of drones too! This is a public-access Patreon post: https://www.patreon.com/posts/52139312 I tend to leave my swarms for at least 3 weeks before checking them, depending on whether they are a prime or cast, and the … Continue reading Swarm update
I was called out to a swarm (thanks Georgia!) at Arlington Reservoir yesterday evening: handy as I needed a swarm for the vacant Thermosolar hive about 500 yards away as the bee flies – in fact I did think there was a possibility that they could be a swarm from the occupied Thermosolar. The other possibility was that they were from a colony living in … Continue reading New colony in the Thermosolar Hive
Bees on comfrey. There are lots of big stands of this robust perennial growing in many places near me – right outside my front door for one! – and the bumblebees absolutely love it. They often chew a hole in the top of the flower to access the nectaries and I do find that these plants don’t have many viable seed. They are collecting pollen … Continue reading Comfrey
At last: some Spring-like weather! Lots of swarms around so I had planned my day to visit the Thermosolar bees remarkably well. They were looking bonny – here’s a slo-mo: I didn’t do a particularly invasive check as there were people on site and the bees aren’t the friendliest colony, so I checked the board and under the lid. They haven’t started building in the … Continue reading Spring Thermosolar Check
I am still looking out of the window to see frost on the ground, and the wind has been brisk and cold for a sustained period. We have had a handful of days where the sun has persisted for more than a few hours and although it is warm when the wind drops, it’s by no means springlike. It’s meant to start warming up to … Continue reading All quiet…for the moment
If you’ve been watching my recent vlogs, you’ll know that there have been a few changes with the poultry here at Shawpits. Since the lifting of ‘Cluckdown’, I have moved the pens over to one corner of the garden, and will be fencing off an area of north-facing garden for the chooks to have for their free-range time. I have one hen who has gone … Continue reading Poultry Update
I guess when most people consider keeping bees for other-than-honey purposes, it’s the connection with pollination and plants that springs to mind. This is a really powerful aspect of regenerative beekeeping, helping us to evaluate what is flowering and where, and when, and whether or not the bees regard it as a favourable source of food, be that pollen or nectar. To recap: honey bees … Continue reading Regenerative Beekeeping: Forage
I last went to see these bees in August last year (read about them here) and I was really hopeful that they’d made it through the winter. The landowner had said she hadn’t seen much activity, and the cold snap we had a week or so ago had doomed a few colonies I know, so I was wondering how the hives had fared, given that … Continue reading Spring Check of the Selmeston Bees
I’ve had a fascination with hedges for many years, and feel profound dismay at the sight and sound of the annual flailfest along the roads and lanes here in Sussex. I still have my “The History of the Countryside” by Oliver Rackham which was a course textbook for my Agriculture and the Environment degree at Wye College back in the 90’s. It’s one of those … Continue reading Regenerative Beekeeping: Hedges
Wax is produced by bees to create their home. The external walls of the cavity they occupy (be that hive, tree, chimney) will have been assessed for suitability by the scout bees before moving in, and as the combs will form an essential part of the bees’ “body”, it is equally essential that the cavity will contain and secure the combs effectively. They build a … Continue reading Regenerative Beekeeping: Wax
