Budding Cottage

Hive 3 This is becoming a bit of a tower hive. It was visited by the LAN group when it was due to swarm; so we took an artificial swarm from it (into hive 5) and knocked down some queen cells leaving two of the best behind.  However that was a few weeks ago, and […]

So, Hives B and C….the two swarms that are so different. Hive B has for some time worried me because it had the varroa problem and was so slow to develop.  The queen was lovely and placid and the bees nice, if fidgety, but they did not thrive.  So a course of thymol should have […]

It has been two weeks since I managed to catch up with the girls – so time to check what they had been up to. First good news in the Pagden hive (Hive D) – there is brood and looks like a queen is in place and laying.  What a relief. They are busy filling […]

Before I leave Mr C in charge of the apiary for a week, time for a quick check of stores and space, among other things, principally to be relatively content that the little devils will have plenty to do and lots of space to do it in. We seem to be entering July, and according […]

Chris very kindly agreed to come over and give me the benefit of a second view on a couple of my hives.  Extremely generously, this second view extended to all 6 hives eventually and a marathon 3 hour beekeeping practical session… I am still playing around with advice on brood versus half brood; and trying […]

Well, I knew that a lot could happen in a week, but was taken aback by activity in Hive A and Hive C this week. Hive C As ever, being little gannets, the food had gone.  The surprise was that the bees have built wild comb linking the eke for the apiguard with the crown […]

The more I learn, the more I read, the more I think…the more I have questions and moments of indecision. When  I first started I was happy to peek into a hive and pull it apart frame by frame, having a good nose about.  Now I am stalled by questions, questions, questions. This week I […]

As a beginner, it was with a small amount of trepidation and some excitement that I greeted the chance of having the LAN group come and visit my little apiary, and to meet the fabled Dave Sutton, Regional Bee Inspector. Hive B: We started by looking at the swarm I captured from Malvern on 8 […]

On 1 June my neighbour wandered over and asked if I was interested in a swarm of bees that was in his orchard.  An immediately dive to the bee suit, box and sheet and I was off. There used to be a beekeeper who kept bees in John’s orchard, but over the winter his bees […]