The price of everything seems to be going up every time you look and beekeeping equipment is no exception. It’s never been a cheap hobby to set up, although it is cheap to run, and so many people are looking to buy second hand equipment...
Read moreWhat Do Bees Do In The Winter? We are always being asked what do honey bees do in the winter and so despite the fact that spring should be just around the corner I have decided to put up this blog to answer the question. Bees in the UK have...
Read moreLack of flowers is one of the biggest problems facing honey bees and we are often asked what should I plant to help bees. Bees need flowers not just for the nectar to make honey but also for pollen so here are a few suggestions: One popular...
Read moreWinter is a time when the bees are hopefully dormant and all inspections are over. This is the time to spend time doing those jobs which will set you up well for next season. Here are five that everyone should be doing. Cleaning & Repairing...
Read moreSpring is not here yet but it is most important to get ready for the season ahead. Now is the time to get out spare equipment and make sure it is ready for use. Take those spare supers and brood boxes and give them a good going over with a blow...
Read moreNow is the time to be considering those winter jobs in order to hit the ground running in the spring next year. A great starting point is to look at all the used frames you will have about the place and decide what is worth saving. I always throw...
Read moreAs I write this blog we have had several days with temperatures above 16 degrees C in the last week of October and although rain is forecast for next week there is not one day where the temperature is forecast to be less than 14 degrees during...
Read moreHopefully we are now in a position where our bees are very close to being ready for Winter and all is well inside the hive. Now is the time to turn our attention to external pests. The two that can cause major problems here in the North Cotswolds...
Read moreOn my courses I always say to new beekeepers that the only equipment you really need to start is the hive, a suit, a hive tool and a smoker. The thing is though that included in that list should be a blow torch. First of all one of the biggest...
Read moreThe difference between someone who keeps bees and a beekeeper is that a beekeeper is a farmer who needs to manage stock through difficult times. This bring us nicely to the subject of feeding bees ready for Winter. Bees must have enough stores to...
Read moreFor my fist blog I thought we would start with a controversial subject. Over the last few years open mesh floors have become very popular in the fight against varroa and very useful they have been. I use them during the summer to measure daily...
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