Sustainable beekeeping, chickens, and cake
I have been waiting for a suitable opportunity to go and check the bees on the Marsh, and the need for this was hastened by my getting a message to say that one of the hives was leaning at rather an angle as the livestock had managed to get in to the apiary... On arrival … Continue reading School Apiary Check
I received a top bar hive from a friend of mine who I met at the Barcombe Eco Fair; Caroline is another natural beekeeper and wanted someone with the same beekeeping ethics to have her cedar top bar, as she works mainly with Warrés. It has an inspection window (which I know are rather controversial) … Continue reading Baiting the other hives
The Marsh today was looking exactly as it should following the high rainfall we have had recently. It is a floodplain, taking the runoff from the bypass and surrounding industrial areas and in doing so, providing a magnificent habitat for wetland species. Geese, gulls, starlings, skylarks, ravens, and a Little Egret were taking advantage of … Continue reading Tarps on the Marsh
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
Time for a visit to the Marsh bees, to see how both colonies are getting on. The entrance to the top bar hive is facing in to the prevailing wind and, given how the only surviving colonies had their backs to it, we want to make sure that the bees don't have to deal with … Continue reading Summer Bee Check at the School Apiary
It was a hot and sultry afternoon to meet at the Marsh to discuss hedgerow plans, and how to integrate the various demands on the site in a sympathetic and unified manner. Paul and I met with Mike Fairclough, the Head of West Rise Junior School; Virginia Pullen, Chief Landscape Architect for East Sussex County … Continue reading An afternoon at the School Apiary