Sustainable beekeeping, chickens, and cake
We have had a huge amount of rain here in Sussex - and across the UK - recently, and my house is thankfully situated on higher ground so I am not in immediate danger of inundation, although my garden does get standing water in the sunken section, much to the ducks' delight: https://videopress.com/v/LCtFumti?preloadContent=metadata Further down … Continue reading Floods
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
Following on from my previous post... Yesterday I was contacted by a site worker from East Sussex Highways about removing the panel from the street lamp so that I could access the bees inside. We met underneath the lamp (although that's where the similarity with Narnia ends), and after a few deft stabs with a … Continue reading The Street Lamp Bees
A beautiful day at the Marsh to check the bees. We had asked Oscar at The Shed to make us a new Warré box for our hive, and he had commissioned Jim and Dino to do so, which they did - out of a former church pew: We wanted to get the next box on … Continue reading School Apiary Update
The bees in the Warré hive at theWest Rise School Apiary at Langney Marsh have done extremely well, considering they got through the winter in one box, and have had no supplementary feeding. Paul noticed that they had filled the previously unoccupied lower box so a new addition was needed urgently! This has taken us … Continue reading Bees, and Reptiles
At my introductory beekeeping courses, I always recommend using a British National hive, or its cousin the WBC, as they are readily available, and provide beginners with large boxes and robust, well-proportioned frames with which to handle the bees. Just because they are used commercially doesn't mean one has to manage one's bees in that … Continue reading Warré hive
I've not been down to check the bees at the Marsh since February, although Paul has dropped by to see how they are getting on. There was a chilly breeze and we were pleased to see the bees flying in with pollen. It's amazing to see that they've survived the winter in one Warré box … Continue reading Spring Visit to the School Apiary