Monthly Archives: April 2014

My former assistant at work (she answers to ‘Mother’) has been nagging me for honey.  I thought I had run out but a few days ago I found half a bucket tucked away with my home brew stuff.  I put … Continue reading →

After days of rain and coolness, it cleared up a bit this afternoon, so I thought I’d split the hive on my allotment, using Ron Brown’s two queen method to produce a crop of queen cells, maybe a nuc or … Continue reading →

After using my spade for 40 years, I broke the shaft recently. I must be getting stronger!  On my way back from Yeovile today I saw signs advertising a car boot sale so drove in hoping to find an affordable … Continue reading →

At a house-warming booze and nibbles party yesterday, I overheard somebody talking bees, so I asked him if he kept them and we got chatting, as one does. He is in his 70s and has been keeping bees since, as … Continue reading →

On the way back from the auction last Saturday, I meandered round a couple of my empty sites.  On the first, a wild flower meadow on a seaside holiday camp, one of the hives had been overturned by the gales … Continue reading →

Yesterday, the weather having been lovely, I drove across to darkest Somerset to Bee Happy Plants, where I have a top bar hive set up to educate my apprentice, Sarah Holdsworth, who’s Nursery it is.  It  was 5pm and the … Continue reading →

This Saturday, 12th April, Dorchester & Weymouth BKA will be holding its famous annual auction of bee stuff.  Usually there are up to 200 items being auctioned and people come from a great distance to join in the fun and … Continue reading →

I’m just back from the 3 day BBKA Spring Convention, the highlight of today being the BIBBA (Bee Improvement and Bee Breeders’ Association AGM.  It was held at Harper Adams University in darkest Shropshire and the BIBBA AGM was held … Continue reading →

I’m quite pleased and proud that one of my first apprentices, Ma Grizzly, not only got all her hives through the Canadian winter for the first time, but now has more hives than me and has taken on an apprentice … Continue reading →