R.J. Beekeeping

Ecosystem Services

2012-02-02T18:33:00.001Z

The Guardian reports on the economic and social value of nature:
"If we didn't have flowering plants in rivers, for instance, they'd become faster flowing, flooding would occur more frequently and water quality would decrease".
So who is key to this eco-system and vital for pollination of such plants?

Exciting and Scary !

2012-01-26T18:54:00.002Z

Following a meeting with John Harding last week ( a very nice man) I have been trying out what he told me; it really really works!! I don't want to give anything away so you should get his book and find out yourself but it is so exciting and so scary.

WHAT MATTERS MOST?

2012-01-17T21:32:00.002Z

A Clue: Bzzzzzzzzzz!

Changes

2012-01-13T19:14:00.001Z

I am beginning to think I do have it wrong and that there are better methods for the bees. This I have to investigate and see; what am I talking about, well Geopathic Stress Lines, inspection reduction, wax and its' "Properties". I will keep you posted.

Zombies and Dinosaurs

2012-01-06T18:39:00.002Z

If what the papers have printed is correct, which I don't doubt, then why is this breaking news to bee keepers and why has the bee keeping press not given us prior insight??
Zombies - bees infected with a "parasite" that may be the cause of Colony Collapse Disorder thats' all. It is said to affect the bees who become dis-orientated and fly aimlessly unable to return to the hive and drawn to white light.
Dinosaurs - well guess!

2012!

2011-12-31T19:22:00.002Z

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!
I am looking forward to an enjoyable bee season,full of fresh ideas. There is so much to beekeeping and with it a real importance,so I hope to get it right and do the best I can for these amazing creatures.

Seasons Greetings!

2011-12-24T17:24:00.000Z

Happy Christmas! Bzzzzzzzzzzz!!

House Keeping

2011-12-22T17:06:00.001Z

A lovely mild day and so good to see the bees busy house keeping: out on cleansing flights, removing dead and debris, even a few returning with pollen!

Rock n Roll Bees are HEAD-BANGERS!

2011-12-12T19:10:00.003Z

Apparantly bees bang heads with each other; well at least scout bees from different colonies use this process to decide who can swarm to a particular location (if they both investigate the same place).

Thinking Ahead

2011-11-29T22:41:00.004Z

Thoughts and ideas for 2012: Polystyrene hives, Zest hive, Geopathic Stress Lines, Arnia (recognising changes in hive frequencies/vibrations).

Early Risers

2011-11-17T18:36:00.003Z

The clock in the Jimny said 08.34 as i pulled alongside the hives in the field to start checking the fondant but already the girls were busy coming and going, waddling back into the hive laden in creamy pollen. You could think it was still summer but for the yellowing and bare trees in the distance.
There was a mix with some hives having taken down all the fondant previously left for them while others had barely nibbled their blocks. It was pleasing to see them all active and okay.

Still buzzy!

2011-11-09T18:55:00.002Z

It was a real damp autumnal day today. A lot of the trees in my garden have shed their leaves, which covered the ground as I worked clearing up the bonfire from Guy Fawkes Night. My work led me down the garden near the beehives and the activity at the entrances gave me a good feeling: Loads of creamy coloured pollen laden legs waddling indoors and purposeful take offs heading the opposite way. Magic!

IVY

2011-10-13T16:45:00.001+01:00

A quick check of my apaiaries today revealed a distinctive smell from around the hives; Ivy must be coming into bloom!

If It Were To Be Believed....

2011-10-10T19:17:00.002+01:00

According to articles recently printed in my local newspapers, I am surrounded by expert bee keepers, who keep some of the best bees in the country and produce famous honey!!??

ALL QUIET ON THE WESTERN FRONT !

2011-10-06T20:45:00.009+01:00

At least so I hope!!

All Tucked Up For Winter

2011-09-25T19:02:00.002+01:00

Apiguard sorted, fondant and ekes on (despite the rain); my bees are all bedded down for winter. Pleasing to think I have completed the cycle and done my upmost to prepare my colonies, sad that I am really saying "bye for now and over to you" as I can do little more now than watch, powerless, as winter unfolds.

Early Loss !

2011-09-22T19:50:00.002+01:00

I didn't think that the wasps were such a pest this year: but the first hive I checked this morning was riddled with them and the poor bees had perished - yet last week all was okay (albeit I had noted to reduce the entrance as this was a weak colony and I had over looked masking across some of their entrance slot). A bad start!
At my next site , my newest, I was almost intoxicated by the setting, its' situation and view really captivates me and I have to stop and take it all in. Even doing this though my bee keeping was over all too quick, their is little to do this time of year.

Threat

2011-09-14T22:11:00.000+01:00

The greatest threat which I beleive the honey bee currently faces is the dinosaur!

Hive Stands

2011-09-08T19:47:00.002+01:00

I was supposed to be making more hive stands this afternoon from off cuts of wood I have recently sorted. Trouble was that the weather went quite warm and sunny and I had to keep walking past some hives to get the wood out; and of course I had to stop and watch for a little while, well maybe a bit longer than that. I actually lost interest in building the stands and became fixated watching the bees at their hive entrances! Eventually I did rush and knock a couple of stands together. Good job no one else was home to see me skiving again.

What A Load of Rubbish

2011-09-05T21:23:00.002+01:00

There is some real bad advice being banded about with regards to keeping bees. Short term trends are being fulfilled at the long term expense of the honey bee. Get real !

Beautiful Day Makes Me Melancholic

2011-09-01T18:00:00.002+01:00

I was in the fields with the bees at 8 o clock this morning. It was lovely and sunny and the bees were already out busy. It was a wonderful sight. But the season is over and that leaves me feeling sad. There was little to do, though I always find a few precious moments to stand and watch the bees coming and going; I could happily while away the hours doing this/(nothing! but don't tell the wife!).
The rest of the day was spent sorting and tidying spare equipment and getting supers ready to freeze before storage. I am lucky that I am allowed to use our chest freezer for this purpose every autumn.

"Earwigs!"

2011-08-30T20:34:00.002+01:00

A lot of my hives, particularly the empty ones, have been riddled with earwigs all through the summer: wonder if they affect the bees?!Must be the year of the earwig.
On a different line I found a dead Hornet? in the entrance to one of my hives last week. I took pictures and sent one to DEFRA, who have said I can send the insect to them for true identification: to my relief (they say) its' not an Asian Hornet.

Shutting Up Shop

2011-08-19T16:09:00.004+01:00

Having inspected all colonies this week, there is a general trend toward reducing the brood nest and substantial stores are appearing on the outer brood frames. Wasps are also appearing at the entrances, so I have reduced all full entrances using mouse guards, with masking tape where colonies are smaller to make entrances easier to defend. The honey on will be left for the bees to take down in the coming weeks and I will encourage them to do this. The Varroa treatment (Apiguard) is due and as supers can be removed I will look towards winter feed (Fondant blocks) going on. Where did the season go? It happened so fast, though this season has been a bit of a battle.

On The Defence... Mancini!

2011-08-05T19:03:00.002+01:00

It was a lovely day today. I checked all my colonies. 4 new queens are laying well (the last/latest who I feel can build up sufficient to survive - dare I say - the coming winter). Noticably all colonies were more defensive of their stores today, shades of my football team!

Where Is The Camera When You Need it : Supersedure

2011-07-30T21:28:00.003+01:00

One colony last week had a laying queen and a single sealed queen cell which I dared to leave alone. Tonight the queen cell was gone and there before me was the old queen still laying and being courted. Almost next to her scurrying around and clearly feisty another queen! But on meeting the two seemed happy to accept each other. Mum is dark, daughter queen quite orange by comparison. I may be wrong but I am guessing in the weeks ahead mum disappears. We shall see and I will let you know.
This is only the second time I have seen this and I reached for my camera, what a picture! But I had not got my camera!! Never mind my phone takes good pictures, the phone I always carry- but tonight I had left on the bed at home!!!

R.J. Beekeeping: Please Think Outside The Box

2011-07-30T21:28:00.000+01:00

R.J. Beekeeping: Please Think Outside The Box: "Reading the bee publications today left me with more mixed emotions. Please BBKA think outside the box, look at the alternative views, ideas..."

Please Think Outside The Box

2011-07-29T19:18:00.002+01:00

Reading the bee publications today left me with more mixed emotions. Please BBKA think outside the box, look at the alternative views, ideas and ways. Get off your pedestal. "MITS"- the way forward (to my friend KP)!

Cost of Vandalism

2011-07-29T19:14:00.002+01:00

Checking my bees at the site where I had some hives knocked over last week I found one queen (still there) who had stopped laying and another colony where the queen has gone and the colony appears in disarray. I am filled with sadness and anger.

Thoughts Of Winter!

2011-07-23T20:46:00.002+01:00

Up dating my hive records tonight, I noticed that one colony had reduced it's brood size, a note of caution for the coming weeks; BUT looking back to July 2010 the records show that this colony peaked with brood by early July. From there on the brood size slowly reduced into autumn. then came winter. A chilling thought (no pun) that this is what lies ahead, the bee season is on the wane!

More Vandalism!

2011-07-22T19:46:00.001+01:00

A quick check last night found 3 more hives, all with bees in, knocked over. What can anyone get out of doing such a thing??

Cut Comb; Yum Yum!

2011-07-19T20:37:00.002+01:00

Time for supper me thinks. Fresh (White) bread, toasted and hot, real butter and quickly spoon on some cut comb honey. The wax melts and then spread the honey and consume whilst still warm-heaven! My lovely bees have produced me a good supply for the coming months. Anyway better go, I'm drooling at the thought.

Vandals!!

2011-07-18T18:44:00.004+01:00

I arived at one site this morning to do my weekly inspections and was greeted by 3 nucleus boxes strewn and knocked over: fortunately 2 were empty, but the third has a colony in it. All around the other hives were bricks and stones and then by the vandalised hives I saw sticks. The bees, not happy, were wet from the rain; I only hope they showed their discontent to whoever did this!

Buzzing Around With Bees

2011-07-17T20:10:00.002+01:00

I thoroughly enjoyed talking to people today at this event from Birmingham City Council; well done to Jan who organised a super event, which was well attended despite the weather (rain again KP!).

New Queens

2011-07-14T19:30:00.003+01:00

On my inspections list today I had to check some hives to see if the new queens were laying and properly mated: after the season so far I was filled with trepidation.
There is no more beautiful site though than to see normal brood in all stages, and then catch site of the NEW queen herself. This was really good to see today, to blow away my other concerns!
One queen however decided to cause a stir by hiding on the crown board, then make her "appearance" as I closed up the hive and lead me a merry dance crawling over my hands; then taking a short flight down onto the top of the frames before disappearing down into her brood. Bit of a heart stopping moment!

Swarms

2011-07-01T19:45:00.004+01:00

Much as I welcome yet another swarm into my garden today, after yesterday, I am beginning to run short of hives, and for that matter supers; as this latest one has set up in a stack of supers that would have gone out onto hives next week. How generous these local bee keepers are; but what are they being taught?!

Rose Bay Willowherb

2011-07-01T19:39:00.003+01:00

Over the last week I have noticed this coming into flower. Only a couple of years ago I remember going on holiday to Dorset in August and seeing this plant come into flower there: so this is really early? Maybe a good thing as a source of income in a season of dearth, but what comes in August to maintain an income to the bees?

Swarm

2011-06-30T19:28:00.002+01:00

I arrived home this afternoon and had just changed when I heard a familiar sound down the garden... the arrival of (another) swarm. I was so excited. I raced down the garden and stood mesmerised watching this cloud of bees descend on an empty WBC. The bees were flying all around me but I wasn't bothered until I realised I was stood in shorts and top, no bee suit. I decided to withdraw and let them get on with settling in.

Nothing Compares...

2011-06-20T19:56:00.005+01:00

I checked my bees at home tonight; the forecast was rain so I was ready abort at any time. But the bees were beautiful! Calm and serene and totally oblivious of my intrusions. I saw all my queens; my Dartington and Octagonal are going great. Nothing quite compares for me and there is no better way to chill out, especially when the bees are so tranquil. As I closed the last hive and walked up the garden down came the rain, but even that felt good. Chilled!

The Pain and Problem of Drone Laying Queens

2011-06-14T21:36:00.002+01:00

I found another drone laying queen tonight, thats' the second so far this season (and a couple of other queens are also looking dodgy). It is a painful sight to see drone cappings across the brood for a number of reasons: although a result of the weather (KP!!) it makes you feel a failure; it means the colony is doomed unless you seriously intervene; it can wreck the comb; it can be difficult to find the queen (then you have to cull her!).

Full House

2011-06-13T22:07:00.003+01:00

I collected a swarm this evening, nicely situated in a plum tree. I have put it into my empty Rose hive, which means I now have Dartington, Top Bar, Rose and Octagonal with bees in to see how they perform. The Dartington has already "vindicated" itself and I am hopeful that the others will be as successful.

New Queens

2011-06-09T19:26:00.002+01:00

Inspections today revealed a dozen new queens laying following artificial swarms last month, but it's too early to tell that they are mated. I already have a few queens laying and mated, but have 1 hive with a new queen drone laying (she didn't get mated in time) so unfortunately the colony is doomed unless I intervene (cull the queen and replace her soon). The next few weeks will tell me if the ones seen laying today are okay (I really hope so, though the weather has not been helpful in this repsect - KP!).

Settling In

2011-06-06T19:31:00.002+01:00

I did an artificial "shook swarm" on a colony last week: lovely docile bees. I found the queen and caged her on a frame, then shook lots of bees into a box and then coaxed the queen onto my finger and put her in the box - these were heading for my new octagonal hive at home.
Back home I opened the box and found the queen sat on one of the lid flaps so I coaxed her back onto my finger, and whilst in the palm of my one hand I upturned the box (with my other hand) and shook the bees into the empty hive. Then let the queen walk into her new home.
Tonight I peeked through the observation window and could see a big cluster: this hive is a top bar vertical (Warre type) with in built viewing ports. I am really excited!

Bee Shed

2011-05-27T21:08:00.003+01:00

Tonight I emptied out my bee shed which I could literally just step inside!
3 hours later my shed looks neat and tidy and I can literally just step inside!!
Mind you I have fitted more "stuff" in it. :-)

Drab May

2011-05-25T20:49:00.003+01:00

Doing bees tonight I thought how we were spoilt by the lovely weather in April - warm, dry and sunny. By comparison May has been a drab, damp affair (well for me it has): colder, WETTER and the explosive build up by the bees last month seems to have stagnated at the moment, especially with the Rape crop finishing. Indeed I am keeping a watch on stores in some colonies (June gap come early?).

Queens

2011-05-19T22:26:00.003+01:00

I saw my first 2011 queen today and got a real good feeling and there was normal sealed brood which is always a relief to me. My next dilemma is whether to mark now or next Spring, after the problems I had last year.
Tonight I went to a demonstration of Instrumental Insemination; I don't know my stance on this and can see arguements on both sides. One thing I can say is a big "Thank You" to Michael Collier - what a really nice guy and a wealth of bee keeping knowledge and acumen he has. I remember going to Michaels last Open Day which still remains one of the best bee keeping things I have done.

What In Swarms Name Is Going On ?

2011-05-16T19:59:00.003+01:00

I do beleive that bee keepers should be exacting artificial swarm control to avoid nuisance to the general public (much as I would love for the bees to carry out what comes naturally). So as it is only mid May and I already have 5 swarms from local bee keepers I have to ask what is being taught to these people? Last year I acquired 9 swarms and I feel that this is not good given that what I acquire is only a small percentage of the total.

Sexism!

2011-05-15T19:19:00.002+01:00

I returned some supers to hives this afternoon, having extracted some honey. I noticed that a nuc which was an artificial swarm done last week had a small pile of dead bees outside the entrance: closer inspection revealed they were all drones - obviously surplus to requirement at this time for that colony and maybe a sign of a lack of food, which I quickly checked, though there seemed sufficient. Poor blokes!

A Pain In The Arm, Raindances, and Supers

2011-05-13T22:05:00.002+01:00

Yesterday whilst inspecting my bees - in the rain - I got stung on my left arm. I took little notice thinking it was me messing with the bees in bad weather. A second sting still led me to think the same. But then further stings on my left arm and shoulder forced me to step back from the hive and check my bee suit was done up properly. All was secure so I resumed but then further stings and then the feeling of bees crawling along my arm made me lift my arm and there was a huge tear in my bee suit. I don't know how it happened (or when) but I have a sore arm today!!
Every day I have tried to look at my bees this week, no matter what time of day, it has rained. Not a little, a lot and I have got soaked several times. I am now convinced that someone at work is doing rain dances. It's almost like a little grey cloud following me every time I look at my bees.
Tonight my friend Martin and I have been out getting supers full of honey off for extracting (yes in the rain again). We work well as a team and managed to get nearly 60 supers off in a couple of hours.

Rain stings!

2011-05-10T20:28:00.002+01:00

I took my chances to inspect some colonies tonight after work, the weather looked dodgy and no sooner had I lit my smoker and opened up a colony down came the rain. The bees were not best pleased at my antics and dogged perseverance; it did not take long before they were digging in and gouging through my bee suit. Time to stop I thought but not before getting a good few more painful reminders. Maybe the sun will come out tomorrow night- LOL!

Early Rape

2011-05-03T20:22:00.002+01:00

The fields of yellow are not quite so bright and now have a green tinge, at least local to me. The bees have brought some crop in and I may need to do some extracting in the next week or two. This seems to be about 3 weeks earlier than last year. I hope it doesn't go cold later this month as the rape will solidify in the comb if I am not quick.

Time.. So Buzzy!

2011-04-29T20:07:00.002+01:00

I am so busy with the bees I don't have much time to write about it! Well this is a different rant isn't it?! I have been doing artificial swarms, adding supers, building loads of frames and setting up hives ready to put bees into. I could do with some more time to finish sorting wax, and get myself organised. I already have a list for next winter (perish the thought, I just wished the year away, sorry folks).Anyway gotta go, loads to do...

Fair Do's !

2011-04-21T21:17:00.003+01:00

Further to my blog yesterday, and having contacted the company to express my concerns: Their managing director has contacted me to say the product will not be released without further investigation, and the intention is to drop the product.

Now Anyone (Man In The Street) Can Keep Bees!!!

2011-04-20T21:19:00.004+01:00

I have steam coming out of my ears! A company called "Classicalia" is advertising "Simple Bee Keeping" because it's so easy to do - Anyone can do it!
Just spend close on £500 and you can get everything you need to keep bees and get honey (and ways to "attract" bees to your hive). Simple!!

What's Wrong With Modern Beekeeping.

2011-04-15T22:05:00.002+01:00

An excellent talk, superbly delivered by Phil Chandler. Well worth making the effort to attend today. I was captivated. It was great to hear someone (else) questioning the BBKA and it's approach.

Spring has Sprung!!

2011-04-13T20:37:00.001+01:00

Bluebells and Oil Seed Rape in flower before the middle of April!! Did I miss a couple of weeks somewhere?

A Merry Dance

2011-04-07T20:47:00.002+01:00

I have made sure that all my queen are marked today ready for swarm control. This entailed finding and marking or re-marking 17 queens, the rest were okay and still clearly marked. I have one standard brood (for my observation hive) and needed to mark this queen: I searched the frames 3 times without success! I didn't have a spare standard box to separate the colony to make the job easier, so instead I took all the frames of food out, shaking the bees off and made 4 "pairs" of frames - hoping the queen would seek to go in between a pair of frames, in the dark. Despite this I still could not find her and so decided to put everything back to look next week. As I put the crown board back on with fondant block there she was ( I could sense her laughing with her entourage at this stupid bee keeper) on the fondant. Now I had to mark her - I don't like picking queens up (and always use a queen cage) so tried to get her to walk onto my fingers, no chance! She scurried around and around almost saying "you can't catch me!" Then all of a sudden she walked straight up my index finger into the palm of my hand and stopped. I needed to get her onto a frame to press the queen cage into the wax but would she move- it seemed like for ever but eventually she "sauntered" down onto the frame and at last I marked her. In another colony which I opened for the first time this year, the frames were a struggle to lift out and each had a huge lump of propolis set at the entrance end (frames set cold way) - obviously the bees had done their work to keep out the cold of last winter! Just as well I checked them though as this queen has already laid up 8 frames of brood (14 x12). Drones were starting to hatch as well, so we know what could happen soon.

All okay!

2011-03-31T20:04:00.004+01:00

After the rain cleared it was a lovely day, albeit windy! I checked all my colonies today and they are all okay and queen right: I am really pleased. I can now finalise my plans for the year ahead.

I encountered another queen wasp in a roof and unfortunately she was still 3 dimensional after I took a swipe at her, though she did crash land and disappear in long grass. I also found a huge wax moth larvae in one hive which was evicted. Another hive had a cluster of dead bees on one side of the hive but a thriving queen and colony on the other side. Another pleasing sight were the swans nesting again. So it's full steam ahead!

VESPA VULGARIS !

2011-03-24T19:02:00.002Z

It has been a lovely day and the bees have been busy collecting pollen - I could have spent the whole day just watching the hive entrances with the comings and goings. I checked the fondant on the hives and was surprised as I lifted one roof; there was a queen wasp, a huge thing,but it soon became a two dimensional object!
Later in the day in my garden I was sorting spare hives and equipment. Again as I lifted a roof on an empty hive there was a queen wasp. This one escaped me (drat!) and later on in our verandah a queen wasp dared to come prying, looking for a suitable nest site ( I hope it was the same one and not another). My swipes and swats were hopeless and it escaped through the open door - need to sharpen up my reactions.

What To Make Of It All...

2011-03-17T22:36:00.005Z

I hear that at last nights' County AGM the main officers posts could not be filled... what does this say of the County, of bee keeping in Warwickshire, indeed of the BBKA? We have to ask questions of ourselves and I have done that for some time now but I still come to the same conclusion: I am unhappy with the whole set up of the bee keeping fraternity from top to bottom and wonder if the cracks are starting to appear. A few years ago I would have relished the opportunity but not now!

Humming Bush

2011-03-17T16:57:00.002Z

The sun emerged about 10 o' clock so I dashed out hoping to catch my bees flying: I wasn't disappointed. All my hives, at every site, were flying in the warm Spring sunshine. As I pulled up at one site the bush nearby was "humming" with bees busy collecting pollen. It was so nice I could have opened up and inspected the colonies, but had to remind myself to wait a just a few more weeks.

Heavy Bomber !

2011-03-13T18:37:00.002Z

My bees at home were out this afternoon in the sunshine, bringing back loads of pollen. The buzz in the apiary was wonderful to hear. As I (eventually) walked back up the garden I heard a distinctive "drone" and soon picked out a bumble bee searching the hedgerow ( a queen looking for a suitable site to build her nest): Spring must be well on the way! To me the honey bees are the fighter squadrons and the bumble bee the Heavy Bomber whose wings "pitch" to give a louder and more distinctive tone.

U.N. Alarmed at Honey Bee Decline

2011-03-10T19:12:00.004Z

The UN has expressed alarm at the decline of the honey bee. It has identified a list of possible causes to the problem in the Industrialised Northern Hemisphere. Did it miss one? Bee keeping methods??

A Buzzy Day

2011-03-10T19:03:00.002Z

Been buzzy today treating new hives and building hive stands; it was a windy but mild day with sunny spells and brief spots of rain! Spring?! I had to pop out and couldn't resist stopping at one of my apairy sites to get my "fix". I wasn't disappointed as all the hives were busy with comings and goings and lots of yellow pollen arriving - great to see. I could have spent all day just watching (how sad is that?) but wrenched myself back to my duties.

Join The Revolution !?

2011-03-07T20:10:00.002Z

A very imposing advert, indicates that the Co-operative is good for everyone and the page I saw advertised a bee keeper who has trained dozens of urban bee keepers to help protect the honey bees' future. That is great news providing the training is good- not doubting the work of Brian McCallum but what has been taught - I am still searching for detail; can you help me? How do I get involved?? Protecting the future of the honey bee....

Getting impatient/ Curse myself

2011-03-03T19:51:00.004Z

I checked all my apiaries today. It was really cold and the bees were all tucked up; a few needed more fondant and one entrance was clogged up with dead bees (though the girls inside seemed okay). I am anxious to get started but the weather makes me feel it will be a good few weeks yet before I get to do any "real bee keeping"; for now it's surveillance only, I have to be patient.
I sadly have another loss - my feelings on this are mixed:
It still hurts (as I've said before)! The last two Autumns I have drawn up a type of prediction table of my colonies , sort of "odds" of surviving the winter. Last Autumn I marked 5 colonies "at risk" - by coincidence they were all in nucleus hives (but not all my nucleus hives were marked at risk - you follow?). The 2 I have lost to date were both from this category, so I am not too upset as I didn't hold that much confidence. This is where detailed records are invaluable. The disappointment here has to be that this was the colony used for my observation hive, and this is the second year running that the colony used for the observation hive has consequently died out in winter. For this I curse myself as I have perhaps abused it by using it for such purpose late into the season. A lesson learnt me thinks.
Looking at the records reveals a mind of information: this was a swarm that came into my garden last June and settled in some empty supers (about to be put out for filling!). The queen was unmarked and began laying straight away but never really built up that well (an old failing queen maybe). The records also show that it was a part of my random microscopy checks and nosema was present, so there is another maybe. But maybe I abused it a little too much and the queen may have got damaged late in the season being hoofed around and yanked in and out of the frame for the public to view- I curse myself.

Hurry up Spring

2011-02-27T18:56:00.002Z

At home today and kept checking my bees to see if they were flying- but not a peek; think we got spoiled by the nice day last thursday. Looks like a colder week ahead so we may have to wait a while longer for Spring!
It has to be said.. Congratulations and well done to Birmingham City FC and to Alex McLeish and Ben Foster (friends do you sense some envy?).

Getting closer

2011-02-24T19:56:00.002Z

The start of the season is getting closer. Today was really nice with the crocus and snowdrops in bloom and the catkins full with pollen. It was a joy to see my bees flying, "waddling" back into their hives legs covered in yellow. To cap it all my Jimny passed its' MOT and is ready to roll. Spring is just around the corner (I hope)!

THE ROSE HIVE METHOD BY TIM ROWE

2011-02-17T19:27:00.002Z

I really do recommend this book. The principles and ideas are a must for every bee keeper, even if you don't follow the method and use the hive. I will admit I bought a Rose Hive and tried to use it as a Warre substitute (and something strange happened to the bees - but that's another story). Now having read the book and the method, I hope to try it properly this year.
I moved more hives today to equalise my numbers better at my main sites; at their new site the bees did peek out the entrance as I removed the block but obviously thought better than to fly in the cold temperatures outside!

Branch AGM and Talk by Celia Davis

2011-02-14T23:13:00.003Z

An excellent talk giving an overview of the pheromones, dancing. piping and quacking: all part of the swarming process within bee colonies. Thank you Celia.

POLLEN.... But it still hurts!

2011-02-10T15:53:00.003Z

It was great to see at one of my sites today, fresh pollen being brought in at all the hives (except one!). So chances are brood is being reared, a real positive sign. But as if to knock me down when I dare to feel good, the nucleus with no activity had died out - the first casualty of the winter. Looking at my notes it stood little hope really: a fruitful colony last summer that lost its' queen in July, then struggled and re-queened itself again in August. I dropped it from a full hive into a nuc for winter but only found brood at the end of September. It was in reality way too small to survive the winter and people may argue I should have united it, but... But it still hurts!

On a lighter note : Picture taken at one of the hives with bee and pollen just discernable. Note at far end of entrance Apiguard tray that disappeared last autumn (bees have tried to throw it out through mouse guard!).

Our Government Loves Bees ?

2011-02-07T19:19:00.003Z

How pleased I was to hear that David cameron AND Vince Cable are patrons of their local bee keeping associations. Strangely I haven't heard or seen mention of them in any bee keeping press or articles, but I am sure they are leading the fight against pesticides; and no doubt the government "millions" promised to research the demise of this vital pollinator will come freely flowing into bee keeping coffers. After all they are interseted in bees aren't they??

YUM,YUM!

2011-02-03T19:31:00.002Z

I moved some hives today in preparation for the coming season. At their new site, two of the three emerged as I removed the entrance block - obviously wanting to know what was going on. The other remained quiet; fearing the worst I carefully lifted the roof and was pleased to see that the ladies were pre-occupied with feasting!

BBKA...Grrrrr!

2011-02-01T22:44:00.002Z

It is my opinion:
The BBKA should pull right out of ANY sponsorship with any pesticide company.
The BBKA is NOT able to cope with the influx of new bee keepers; the result could be almost as bad as the problems already prevailing: systems appear archaic and dogmatically controlled and the only reactions of late somewhat "knee jerk".

Nosema

2011-01-27T19:35:00.003Z

I have been doing a lot of thinking this winter about my colonies (steam coming out of ears at times!). One line of thought is Nosema (maybe a real underlying threat): Now I could treat prophylactically BUT...!
Is it something (ELSE) to worry about? Is the research being done to address it? Who knows?
Needs some investigating, maybe a case for "Dr. Bob"!
Then there's the training and BBKA but we won't go there! YET!!

Raw!

2011-01-27T19:19:00.003Z

As I checked all my colonies this morning it felt quite "raw", especially on the exposed sites. However the "ladies" all seem okay and some were "chomping" away (sorry should that be salivating and sucking) at their fondant- Indeed I had to put more on some!
As February approaches the active season is getting nearer (exciting!) but we still have to be cautious/wary.

A SWARM OF BEES IN JANUARY!

2011-01-23T18:29:00.001Z

Swallow Hayes

2011-01-23T18:09:00.004Z

I visited this lovely 2 acre garden today with my wife and had a stroll around sniffing on the National Collection of Witch Hazel planted there. The red,orange and yellow "flowers" were nice to see and I find the smells wonderful. To cap the visit, tucked away I found 2 WBC hives and was pleased to hear that both were okay. Thank you to our host Pat Edwards.

WHAT IS THE BBKA DOING??

2011-01-18T21:55:00.001Z

I don't know!!

13 degrees!

2011-01-13T21:12:00.002Z

It has been a dull, damp day.
But checking at one of my sites the temperature read 13 degrees and ALL the hive entrances were busy with activity. So pleasing to see despite its functional nature (cleansing flights)! I went home and there too all the hives were active: I honestly could have spent all day watching (but don't tell the missus),

Milder weather

2011-01-09T18:47:00.002Z

I have been outside this afternoon in my garden, building hive parts that I bought from my trip to Thornes' new place last November. It was good to start this after all the cold weather. I did pop down the garden (a few times) to see if any bees were flying and about 2pm some of the little darlings emerged "to do their business" excuse the pun! But by 3.30pm they were all back indoors.

Oxalic Treatment/ Predator

2011-01-03T15:43:00.004Z

With the temperature just above freezing this morning my colleague and friend Martin, and I set out and treated all our colonies (except 4 of mine) with Oxalic solution; part of our IPM against varroa. It was great to get out and do some beekeeping, and also to see all our colonies alive and well. Some colonies were tightly clustered and some low down in their boxes, others were chomping away at their fondant as we "cracked" open the crown boards.

The turn of the year gives a more positive aspect and there is a light in the distance at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. However the next couple of months are the "classic" period for colony losses so we have to remain vigilant. Working together we were able to treat every colony and check their fondant, and ensure that the entrances were clear all in a matter of seconds at every hive (and doing over 50 hives between us).

There was a mystery at one site where two of my nuceus hives had been "chewed" at the entrance by some creature. The bees inside seemed fine but what attcked the entrance hole is a mystery ; bird/woodpecker/mouse/rat/mole/badger?

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!

2010-12-31T14:50:00.001Z

I wish everybody sincere happiness for the coming 2011 and I take this opportunity to thank my family and friends for their support.

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

2010-12-24T21:37:00.000Z

BBC/Thermal Imaging/What I've Been Waiting For..

2010-12-16T19:01:00.002Z

If you type "bees" in the search box of the BBC Homepage, the Editors Choice is currently called "Brilliant Bees" and it's well worth a look. BBC Midlands Today featured using thermal imaging to see if their local colonies were okay following the cold spell - it seems a good tool and avoids disturbing the colony, shame the cameras are so expensive! Maybe the government should supply all bee keeepers with these cameras in order to help in keeping the honey bee alive!!

I checked all my sites today (in the heavy rain, just before it turned cold) and I was rewarded to see some bees briefly coming out. A sense of relief for now, though the cold and snow have quickly returned.

Angst

2010-12-13T19:26:00.004Z

My anxiety levels are sky high at the moment, fuelled in part by wondering about my bees. I may have been keeping bees for over a decade but I still worry about their survival through winter (more so now than in years gone by, maybe because I now have more colonies). As a bee keeper you can feel that you are helping the bees in their fight to survive through the active season. But come autumn and you are reminded that these are wild creatures and for as much as can be done to help prepare for winter, now I can only watch, and wait, and hope (and worry!) - Nature.
There is a real sense of helplessness: The winter has already shown its' true colours and at present has not really abated. Lets hope the bees are tightly clustered over ample stores. Having longed for cold to kill off the wasps I now yearn for a mild spell (while I am not at work) to see the bees at the hive entrances on cleansing flights.

So cold, even for me!

2010-12-05T18:32:00.002Z

I was at a farmers' market today selling honey and promoting bee keeping. It was so cold, even for me dressed with 3 layers of socks, 2 shirts and a coat and 2 pairs of gloves on. Stood for six hours out of doors. But it was worth it; there were lots of interested people and I love talking "bees" to them, I even sold some honey too! Had me thinking though that a break in the cold weather would be good to allow the bees to move around a little for stores, otherwise they can starve even with a hive full of stores!

Better Than Christmas Shopping !

2010-12-02T20:07:00.006Z

I was supposed to go and do some Christmas shopping today, but instead I walked over the fields to check one of my apairy sites: good thing that I didn't attempt to drive because walking back along the road from the site there were cars abandoned in the snow, so travelling in the Jimny would have been a slalem run! I actually enjoyed my walk in the snow across the fields, some fantastic picture card scenes.

All was well at the apairy and seemed serene with the hives decorated in white "toppings". On a couple of hives the entrances were snowed over; snow had gathered on the landing boards and built up covering the mouseguards, so I was able to clear them. Hopefully this weather will deal with those wasps!

Cold and snow

2010-11-30T20:25:00.002Z

As the cold weather continues its grip and snow covers the ground I can't help but think about my bees: hopefully they are nicely clustered up over a good supply of stores. The colony may well be broodless by now so Oxalic treatment comes to the top of the list of thing to do, as it will be most effective whilst the colony is in this condition: December or January will be the best time to treat.

Thorne

2010-11-20T21:19:00.002Z

Martin and I set off in the dark,cold, foggy drizzle at 6.30am today to get to the Thorne Open Day and Sale at their new headquarters in Rand near Lincoln, and it was well worth the effort!
Arriving at 9.00 (an hour before opening) we were not first in the queue but still at the front of it (there was a camper van in the car park!?). This paid dividends in the opening rush for the bargains, though the scrum was "controlled" and bouncers were patrolling.
Although their move is not complete yet, the set up looks great and the shop is a dream world. It should become the best place to shop for bee keeping - well done Thorne!

6 degrees but still wasps!

2010-11-18T22:11:00.002Z

The thermometer in my garden scaled to 6 degrees by lunch time. The morning was cold and wet! I have checked all my sites and hives this morning, all were okay and still had fondant, but the blocks had been eaten away from the hole in the crown board so I moved the blocks to put the remaining fondant above the hole. In many the bees were clustered and any movement was small and slow. One hive fooled me, indeed I thought they had perished and I removed the crown board to see what remained; as I did a rush of awakened bees came storming up into view. I quickly replaced the board and closed up.
The hive that fell over the other week was stable but obviously still very defensive. As I carefully lifted the roof to check the fondant, the bees came flooding out of the entrance. There was plenty of fondant and so I was able to replace the roof and walk away!
Despite the cold and wet (and frosts earlier this week) there was still the odd wasp flying around, seeking to sneak into the hives at two of my sites. Do these critters ever die?!

Waxing not waning

2010-11-15T20:43:00.002Z

I am trying to process some of the wax comb and cappings that I have collected and stored up the last two years (filling numerous sealed tubs). It's amazing how you can put piles of this honeycomb into a saucepan with very hot water and (after filtering out the rubbish) end up, when cooled, with this lovely smooth solid mass that to me looks good enough to eat! Though the volume diminishes somewhat!! Smells lovely and who knows maybe candles next.

Coping/Dealing with it

2010-11-08T09:40:00.003Z

My friend Martin, who keeps bees too and with whom I share some apiary sites, rang me yesterday afternoon to say he was checking his bees and found one of my hives fallen over. He had managed to put it back together but something wasn't fitting back into place and the bees, upset at having their world turned literally upside down, were too defensive to investigate further. So at 8.00 am this morning in wind, rain and cold, I dashed up to check the situation: the hive was okay but the crown board had broken and bees were defending the aperture created. Fortunately I had a spare crown board in my Jimny, so with smoker well alight and gauntlets on I sorted the problem and moved the hive stand onto a firmer spot, all seems okay and only a few stings to show for it! Thanks Martin.

Now I have to go and face a real challenge today.

Value Added Wax

2010-11-06T22:50:00.002Z

Come what may, it has become tradition for us to have a bonfire around November 5th. The rain last night meant tonight was the night. I had accumulated over 30 old brood frames through the season wrapped in platic bags (to keep bees out). The wax was of no use to melt -dark with spent cocoons, faeces and dirt; I suppose I could have cleaned and put fresh foundation into the frames but as a costing exercise (time means money) it is cheaper to buy new frames and be sure of no disease. Anyway they went on the bonfire and what a difference they made, burning with an intense, brilliant white/yellow flame (almost enriching the fire) and really burning well. I would almost recommend it as a fuel enhancer for bonfires.

Ivy

2010-11-03T12:11:00.002Z

I checked all my hives today and was pleased to see the bees flying. It was great to see them waddling into the entrances laden with creamy/yellow pollen. I lifted the roofs to check fondant and the smell of Ivy was obvious in all.

Time to Rant!

2010-10-30T23:27:00.002+01:00

It is far from the best of times for me personally, but I am incensed by what I read in the bee keepers' magazine. Now they are entitled to their opinion, so then am I:
I do not believe that experienced bee keepers should be promoting inspecting colonies AT ALL in October, let alone November! To what possible benefit? If there is already a problem what can be done this time of year??
Then there is promoting education! Now I could really rant on for hours/pages here but it will have no effect as the powers that be have their closed regime and their way is "gospel". I am always open to better myself, or what I should say is better the bees, if someone can show me a better way. And I still ask who trains the trainers?
By the way I am only on page 8 of the November issue, 24 pages still to read!

Honey Buzzard/ Brain the size of a grass seed!

2010-10-25T20:18:00.004+01:00

This bird isn't really a buzzard and it doesn't like honey or honey bees (much!) but it loves to attack wasp nests. I like this bird! Apparantly something to do with the feathers makes it immune to wasp stings and it loves to rip wasp nests apart and feed on the larvae.
Did you know that bees can solve complex mathematical problems which keep computers busy for days. As a result bees fly the shortest route between flowers discovered in random order; which equates to the travelling salesman problem, who have to compute the best route between visits. Bees reach their conclusion using a brain the size of a grass seed.
However bees do lose their memory just like humans and this is more apparent with age (like humans?).
Last but not least I have to say how sad it is to hear of David Barriball losing 9 colonies and hives which were destroyed by someone stealing a tractor and driving over the hives. I understand Dave has offered a reward. I wonder if the punishment could also befit the crime.

Bees have Hairy Eyeballs

2010-10-21T22:11:00.002+01:00

I suffered withdrawal symptoms today and was compelled to visit two apiaries in order to get a "fix" and see some hives. All were okay but it was early in the day and with a frost there was no activity. Still it seemed to help!
I went to a local meeting tonight and enjoyed the talk given by Neil Harrison which gave comparisons and differences of honey bees and wasps. I had heard it before (a good few years ago!) but I was able to understand it better on this occaision. The title and closing line was that Bees have hairy eyeballs, backed up with a comparison slide of the corneas of the honey bee and wasp. However the reason for this was unknown. Anybody know?

Greedy Little Beggars.. but I don't mind really!

2010-10-14T21:10:00.002+01:00

I checked all my hives today, just lifting the roof to see if the fondant had been taken down. Nearly half of my colonies had eaten all their fondant so they have all received another half block. At two sites there was also a distinct odour that indicated the bees had been collecting nectar from the Ivy. It was a cold day with a fine drizzle in the air but most were foraging which I was surprised at as the temperature was 10 degrees celsius at best.

When Dinosaurs Ruled The Earth

2010-10-11T22:41:00.003+01:00

Seen the film? Well in some spheres it's still reality, believe me! Thers is a small hope: at least "BJ" accepts more modern concepts (am I going mad?).
Anyway on a lighter note, "Thank You" to Graham Royle who gave an entertaining lecture this evening and I do like the look of his book (buy,buy,buy).

Ivy

2010-10-10T21:18:00.003+01:00

The weather loday was lovely. I managed to sneak down the garden to watch the hives for a little while. Before I had even opened the gate there was an unmistakable smell from within the apiary: the Ivy must have begun to yield!