Monthly Archives: September 2011

Yesterday I found a plastic bucket half full of old, mangled, honeycomb which looked as if I had chucked it in with some home brew to let yeast and water recover the last of the honey. There may even have been … Continue reading →

My bees can’t or won’t read the books!  At this time of year they should be reducing their brood nests and packing the surrounding area with stores for the approaching winter. Drones should be a memory, having been chucked out … Continue reading →

That’s a car sticker that applies not only to the people but also to the bees.  Visiting the Island today I found that the first hive I examined had plenty of healthy brood but no stores. It’s been like that … Continue reading →

I have discovered that the book is much cheaper bought from Amazon in the USA than from Amazon UK, even taking postage and packing into account, so I’ve ordered one for myself!  The E-book is even cheaper and can be … Continue reading →

I’m just back from a few days with beekeepers in Northern Ireland, my first visit there. At last year’s Gormanston, as I was relaxing in the lounge, a girl, Vanessa Drew, whom I didn’t really know, came up and asked me … Continue reading →

DARG, the Devon Apicultural Research Group, held an all-day seminar today (yesterday now!) attended by about 30 people. The speakers were Dr James Cresswell, Senior Lecturer at the School of Biosciences at Exeter University, whose research deals with the performance … Continue reading →

I went down to darkest Cornwall where I keep a couple of hives on a friend’s woody plot on a hilltop somewhere betwixt Dartmoor and Bodmin.  I  get to see them only about 3 times a year and so they … Continue reading →

As I was with an apprentice at the Community Gardens at the Incline on Portland preparing our kit to open the hives and take some honey, a pair of small boys approached, looking a bit distressed.  My apprentice who is … Continue reading →

On Friday evening, after choir practice, a fellow chorister asked me if I could do anything about the wasp nest in her compost heap. It had been a nuisance for ages but had suddenly gone quiet. I took a peep … Continue reading →

About 3 weeks ago I was alerted by a neighbour to a swarm that was arriving in my back garden. This was the middle of August – way beyond the normal swarming season: “A swarm of bees in May..” etc. … Continue reading →