gavin

Tonight I had a dander to see the bees. Three colonies are left in the apiary while their more populous cousins are up in a favoured spot in the mountains. Two of the stay-at-homes are focusing on Himalayan balsam and one wasn't. The one that wasn't had four bees all doing the same dance on one frame. OK, let's have a look. Six seconds. Six?! On the Sussex scale posted earlier by Nellie that means a little over 7 km. Which way? Over the hills? With the benefit of Google Maps I can see ...

Another very windy day out there, so that's my plans to prepare to move a couple of colonies for rasps (a first for me) down the tubes. I tried last night, after a very fine beginners meeting elsewhere when a dozen brand new beekeepers were treated to a chorus of queen piping amongst other delights, but was beaten back. Beaten back?! Yes, I really need to requeen that one. I had split it on Friday and wanted to reunite after removing queen cells (this one isn't going to contribute queens to the ...

I'll not go into all the details again, as they were described last year. But, one means of creating some nucs is to stick them in a tower above the mother box (and indeed the mother).

What are the advantages? Less space. Doesn't use additional floors and roofs or nuc boxes. Some warmth to the nucs on top (can enhance this by fitting mesh over holes in the board separating the boxes). Failed ones are simply fused by removing a divider. When you disassemble the stack the bees ...

Four happy hours at the apiary yesterday with Bill and Sean, watching them become beekeepers. It was a cracking day and the sun was streaming down. The bees were happy, apart from one that came to greet us when we approached - not quite sure why that one was so annoyed. There was a scuffle with a bumble bee at one hive, so maybe it thought that we were giant bumble bees. Honeybees can be like that sometimes, a little dim at least when the red mist comes down. Apart from that it was one of those ...

Being a man of little planning ability, my dummies are quickly cut pieces of polystyrene insulation board. I really ought to paint them at least. One colony, roaring ahead perhaps partly due to drifters from the seriously weak one alongside, has decided to take matters into its own hands regarding the space they have available. What a racket from all that chewing going on! Pulling out the sheet didn't stop them.



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