Budding Cottage

So, this overwintering business, its not as simple as that…feed the bees – treat the bees – great, but then what do you do with worked comb, virgin foundation and all the other bits and pieces that have littered your apiary all summer and that you have slaved over putting together? Virgin foundation – it […]

Over wintering Well, going into the winter there are many different bee keeper perspectives.  Most of my hives that I have gone with, are trying over wintering on a brood and a half.  That said, at least two are only on a single brood box for the winter, so we shall see what works well […]

Feeding the girls to help them into winter – and its proving to be a sizeable challenge. Today (28th) Chris kindly helped me tackle the Apiary 1 girls as he prepared to move the nurse bees from the wild garden.  This was a great boon as I had a sore shoulder and arm, making lifting […]

There has been an outbreak of European Foul Brood in the area, and so the DEFRA national bee unit has swung into action, prioritising visits to apiaries within 5km or so of the outbreak.  My apiaries were on their list! Initial alarm that there might be something wrong in the hives, but a welcome opportunity […]

Off we went, with some trepidation, to the orchard hives (F and G) to see if there was a harvest to plunder.  Surely these girls, who had been established colonies for some time, would have something to show for their summer?  Well, we managed to take a super and a 3/4 from them i.e. about […]