gavin

  1. What a difference a day makes

    24 little hours.

    Yesterday in 'Todays news' in the main forum I admitted my beekeeping incompetence - or at least my relative inattention this spring. One swarm had just departed. It was in the air and we (Bill, Rick, Dave and me) watched it settle high in the oak tree, then within an hour it was off. It took up residence in the walled garden wall where it will discomfit Ethel, the gardener. And we couldn't find the queen in (another) one of my six. So I visited again tonight and ...

    Updated 03-06-2013 at 10:01 PM by gavin

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  2. First full inspection

    Nice to see Kelly, Francoise, Krystian, Rick, Carol, Bruce, David and Sylvia yesterday - and for their visit to coincide with an afternoon (just) warm enough to open hives at my apiary if not the breezier association one.

    What did we find? Well tempered bees (better than the few opened last Sunday) and not a bit of hostility from any of them (the bees ... ). Plenty of pollen packed in around neat brood nests. Colonies varying from about 5 frames of bees with brood on 3, to 9 frames ...
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  3. Wey-hey!

    It briefly touched 8C today, and this is what it did for the bees at the apiary. The traditional early spring picture of Gavin's bees properly wakening up. It is 3rd April and they are still bringing in some (very) late snowdrop pollen and also something that looks very like willow. On my way back to work the willow trees near the association apiary were in flower with their silver pom-poms now yellow here and there.

    First off, see what was trotting along the track on the way into ...

    Updated 03-04-2013 at 06:31 PM by gavin

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  4. Sitting tight

    Had a quick lunchtime visit to the apiary today now that the snow is nearly gone. The recent cold snap has held the snowdrops back so they are still waiting there for a warmish day to open up shop for the pollinators. The Japanese quince in the walled garden is starting to come out now (always a favourite perhaps because of the warmth in that corner, see last year's photos), and the bees in the cavity of the wall of the walled garden were just as vigorous as the best of my hives (slightly sheepish ...
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  5. Two inspectors call

    Had a visit from a Scottish Government inspector and an inspectress yesterday. As a result I have an insert in the floor of one hive to take out next Wednesday and send to the lab, one hive now short of 60-100 flying bees, and I was able to sit and watch while the brood frames of all of my main hives were shaken free of bees and given a thorough going-over. All in the name of science, and performed professionally. I'm all in favour of that.

    Nothing much to report from the visual ...
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