Sustainable beekeeping, chickens, and cake
This Christmas is going to be a strange one for many, although less so for me as I usually spend Christmas Day on my own or with my children, and actually I find it blissfully relaxing! My older two have moved away so now it's just Rosie and me, and this year we have our … Continue reading Bee Courses for Christmas
I set up my sustainable beekeeping Patreon in March so that I could continue to share my observations and experiences with other interested beekeepers as we learn so much more from sharing what we see and do. I normally run workshops, but with the current restrictions due to the Covid pandemic, that has not been … Continue reading Meeting my Patrons
It's that time of year when wasps become increasingly reviled by beekeepers. The ecology of wasps differs from bees in many ways despite their relatedness. Wasps are omnivores, and feed their larvae protein in the form of other insects (including bees and their grubs), and the adults consume carbohydrates in the form of any sugar, … Continue reading Wasps and beekeepers
I have had quite a few enquiries about resuming my Introduction to Sustainable Beekeeping courses, so I am hoping--after the confusion of the last few months--I am able to give something approaching a definitive answer! To make my in-house courses Covid-compliant, I have reviewed the arrangements so that we can still enjoy the relaxed and … Continue reading New Sustainable Beekeeping Course Dates
We are suddenly having a heatwave, with temperatures doubling from the cool rainy conditions last week. I don't like to disturb my bees beyond the end of July as they are usually understandably defensive and they are working hard to glue the hive together ready for winter. This hot spell will mean plenty of foraging … Continue reading Late July Update
Just a brief visit to the hive this time as I knew the small one was queenless, and the other hive needed its empty super taken off now they've cleaned it up. It was a beautiful day and the bees were very calm. They have a lot of Varroa so I need to perform a … Continue reading Thermosolar hive check
Lockdown restrictions and social distancing have made it a bit challenging to visit the bees at West Rise Junior School's Bee Sanctuary. Normally at this time of year we would be in the throes of BeeFest, the annual celebration of not just bees, but simply being outdoors and appreciating nature - a mandate which the … Continue reading High Summer at the School Apiary
I collected a swarm on May 7th, which was a cast from a beekeeper's hives. They were low down in a shrub, so not a difficult collection! https://videopress.com/v/9AdthtTK?preloadContent=metadata I put them in a nuc box and checked them ten days later as they were certainly not tiny enough to definitely be a cast, so I … Continue reading Patience…
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
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