Sustainable beekeeping, chickens, and baking
It was brisk and breezy despite the sunshine at the Berwick site today, so I was wondering if the bees would be flying. I've not been to check on them since the autumn, so I was keeping my fingers crossed for signs of life at the Thermosolar hive. I watched carefully and sure enough: foragers … Continue reading Checking on the Thermosolar Bees
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
I braved the heat this morning to go and visit the Thermosolar bees at Berwick. The original colony was its usual feisty self, so I removed the top box containing the tubs of cappings, which they had duty sculpted in to new comb. They were not at all pleased to see me, and it was … Continue reading DLQ at the Thermosolar Hive
I collected a swarm from another beekeeper a few days ago, and as they were a prime swarm (by all accounts) and are managed, but not treated for Varroa, I thought they would work well down at the solar farm in the Thermosolar hive. I took them down to the site the following evening, so … Continue reading New colony in the Thermosolar hive
Thankfully, it is perfectly possible to continue to care for honey bees while still respecting the social distancing/essential travel restrictions, and this hot weather and abundance of flowering trees has meant all the bees have been extremely busy. I have combined all my contractual visits in to one 'Bee Tour', hence the sudden crop of … Continue reading Thermosolar update
The weather was a balmy 21℃ today and I took a trip to Berwick to check the bees in the Thermosolar hive. I was curious to see how much they had by way of stores and Varroa, as they had quite a bit of building to do when they first moved in (eight 14 x … Continue reading Spring Check of the Thermosolar bees
A crisp cold day at the Berwick Solar Farm, and the redwings were out in force on the hawthorn shrubs as they are still festooned with berries. Two buzzards flew up from the large puddle in the parking area; I normally see snipe. As the sun was shining on the hive entrance, there were a … Continue reading Thermosolar Hive in Winter
I have been waiting for the weather to cheer up enough to go and check the Thermosolar bees at Berwick, and today I took the plunge, otherwise I feared it would be Christmas before I got to them! The brooding skies weren't terribly promising, but I wanted to at least check all was well, and … Continue reading Thermosolar Hive in Autumn
Last time I checked the Berwick Solar Farm bees, I put the inspection board underneath the mesh floor to see if there were any varroa mites. As the bee groom themselves and each other, the mites drop off, fall through the mesh and can be counted. Of course, it's only a proportion that appear, so … Continue reading Thermosolar Varroa Count
The Thermosolar hive's greatest attribute is its state-of-the-art Varroa control procedure, using the power of sunlight to gently heat the hive to a temperature for a short time, which doesn't harm the bees, but does kill the mites. I wanted to know if the bees do have a mite load, so I put the inspection … Continue reading Thermosolar update