Budding Cottage

A visit to the bees today during a sunny patch of the day.  I wanted to check their sugar syrup levels, which I had topped up last week.  Sure enough they were guzzled dry. Hive A were busy drawing comb in their first super.  I didn’t check the brood box as they seemed very busy […]

Today since it was lovely and sunny, and the temperature at the hives was 21C, I decided to check progress in both hives. Hive A had started off with 6 frames on 4 May and a lively queen with Brood at all stages (BIAS). So 15 days in I wanted to see how far they […]

Today I nipped into the apiary for a quick check on sugar syrup levels – to discover that both Hive A and Hive B had guzzled their way through the best parts of around 3 pints each of sugar syrup.  Time for a quick top up. I then pulled out the varroa boards to see […]

On Sunday we introduced the hives to the concept of lawn mowing with some trepidation.  My reading had led me to caution and an understanding that the bees might object to a large petrol driven object being pushed around by a larger food fuelled and sweating object. (Clearly size is from a bee’s perspective, Mr […]

Grabbing a short break between spells of rain, and before it got too cold, I whizzed a peek into the bees to see how they were: Hive A – doing well in just over a week and have expanded from the 6 combs to draw wax on at least 3 more.  Most busy on the […]

Well, I wondered why the bees seemed to be more active at lunchtime.  At first I thought they were up to something.  Then I realised that they seemed to be doing training flights.  Now, apparently this may be the nursery bees spreading their wings, stretching their legs and relieving themselves during the day.  Well, there […]

As a swarm box, a good sized cardboard box works well.  Here is my box that seems to have captured a feline.

In the evening I checked how the bees were doing with their sugar syrup. Hive A were definitely gulping it down, and guarding the syrup container (or at least fanning for reinforcements just around the porter bee escape on the crown board when they saw me – I had accidentally left the porter bee escape […]

In April (28th) the beginners sessions began at the Hanley castle apiary.  It was great to see into some hives and talk through what we found.  I immediately realised that I needed to review my frame constructions and went back through my empty hives to add additional nails to the lugs of the frames that […]