Sustainable beekeeping, chickens, and cake
We live in complicated times. Grass-fed meat or veganism; plastic use or glass and metal; electric cars or public transport. "Save the Bees" is similarly fraught with problems and there is a vast amount of misinformation regarding pollinators and their relative impact. I recently saw a Twitter thread about the introduction of beehives on to … Continue reading How beekeeping CAN save the bees
We took a trip to Langney Marsh this afternoon to give the West Rise school bees a final check for the autumn. There was a lot of standing water, perfect for the snipe which zig-zagged up sharply as we passed, and we both heard and saw a number of reed buntings as well as the … Continue reading Autumn Check at the School Apiary
Today I met with Paul and Mike to discuss our ongoing plans for hedging on the Marsh. We have applied for some subsidised hedging packs from The Woodland Trust, but we are keen to retain the openness of the landscape, and the saplings have to be protected from stock so we are limited in where … Continue reading Hedges and Ditches at the Marsh
Ok, so this is a bit of a departure, but it ties in with some thoughts and other discussions, so bear with me... Sustainable beekeeping to me is having hived bees in such a way that incorporates them in to the local area so that we can share the fruits of their labours, but not … Continue reading House Cat, and Sustainable Bees
It was great to welcome 4 people to this follow-on course: Tracy, Tracy, John and Jan so I had a sporting chance of remembering names! Jan had been on my intro course, but the others were new to the ways of wayward beekeeping, so it was great to hear their experiences and share mine. I … Continue reading Intermediate Beekeeping Course…and some thoughts
I am always keen to meet up with like-minded people, and I love using honeybees as a way of reconnecting people with our environment. I had a meeting last week with Vicky of Starnash Farmhouse B&B, and after coffee, walking and talking around the beautiful surroundings, it was obvious that it would be a perfect … Continue reading Starnash Farmhouse B&B…& Beekeeping
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
I always enjoy the Introductory courses as it's great to see the wonderment and interest as people begin to understand the workings of a bee colony, but these Intermediate courses are equally enjoyable as it's a chance to evaluate what our bees are doing and share observations on behaviour and experiences. This course gives beekeepers … Continue reading Intermediate Beekeeping Course
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
There were 5 attendees on this course, who had travelled from across Sussex to learn about how to keep bees sustainably. We start off by discussing the hive itself (I work with Nationals and WBCs), and how the bees operate within it. We don't look inside occupied hives on this course - it's actually much … Continue reading Sustainable Beekeeping course