admin OK so I, like every beekeeper have a storage space full of stuff. I had left a nuc there without a sealed front and noticed that there were a few bees in it. Clearly an early swarm had found my stuff and moved in. Interestingly it wasn’t one of mine. I was up for a … Read more
So I got a call on the BeeSwarm website for a swarm in my postcode. I took the kids out to see it as it was a weekend and there it was nice and calm on the fence. This should have been an easy catch. I had both the kids with me so loads of … Read more
OK so this may be a little strange but I have always though it quaint to have an honesty box out the front of the house with honey. I decided to give it a go this year and see how it goes. Using an old hive I sanded and varnished the setup so that it … Read more
OK so I have had a busy weekend. The weather has been truly horrible. It has rained now for pretty much every day of the entire year. It is 22nd February and I think we have had more than 50 days of continuous rain. Last week on one of the few non-rainy patches I went … Read more
Anyone who knows me or has read my blogs will now that I LOVE my poly hives. I am a great fan of the Paradise Honey solution but it is time to try something new. Can I keep my core requirements and improve on the function? In all cases functionality comes first. As a beekeeper … Read more
I like poly hives as they are hard wearing, warm in winter cool in summer and very productive as the bees spend less energy controlling the temperature which could result in a better harvest. I tend to get better through winter results using these hives than I do from the wooden ones and the bees … Read more
So late in the year I noticed that the green hive was empty on Station F. This was a real shame as the bees that were in there were from a lovely swarm that I pulled out of a gutter in Broadbridge Heath. From a near death experience to a happy and prosperous hive –> … Read more
OK so this brings us to the end of 2025. It has been a strange year; started really early and built up quickly in the spring. Blackberries out in July, and now in mid August it is clearly moving into Autumn!! I tend to time my years based on the flowers. end of year is … Read more
Tonight I tried the kit for the bee venom extraction. I tried to take pictures but it is really hard with lots of flying bees and not being able to take my gloves off to work the touch screen on my phone! The glass sheets were cleaned and disinfected prior to use using the C11food … Read more
OK so the batteries on the scales have been no end of a pain for the operation. Taking the hives off the scales to return the full set of the scales to home, to open the box with it’s tiny screws and plug it into a USB for charging is no end of FAF, especially … Read more
