Bee colonies require a number of elements in their favour to overwinter successfully, and despite the go-to solution of copious feeding, this is only one part of what gives honey bees the gumption to get through the cold damp winter. The colony below has been in this hive for 5-6 years and the combs have …
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 …
Hive autopsy, and spiders
I wrote a post back in January about a hive I had which contained the bees we rescued from a wall in a squash court in 2016. As it was free comb cut from the cavity in the brood box, I couldn't have access apart from 6 frames in the super above, from which I …
Setting up your National hive
Lots of people are starting out with new hives and sometimes there is assumed knowledge, so here is a quick reminder about how to set up your hive. Everything needs to fit snugly so ensure all the boxes are flush on top of each other. Start with the floor, and the entrance block set to …
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 …
Wayward Bee 