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]]> admin http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=400 My first bee experience.......wow. http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=399 Mon, 08 Mar 2010 20:01:18 GMT A video blog of this can be found here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tz81as46Fdw) Feeling quite overwhelmed today after an amazing day. After... A video blog of this can be found here

Feeling quite overwhelmed today after an amazing day. After the negatives of Wednesday where I missed my first possible bee meeting today I went to a frame building day – I am sure it is simply a way to get new members building frames for the old members! – which involved about 30 new, slightly rough around the edges, theoretical beekeepers keen to hone their skills and become more practical ones.

Essentially this entailed a nice man giving a demonstration which involved the basic elements of wordwork to put together a frame for the bees to lay the honeycomb on. Basically you need some wood, what looked to be bulsar wood, and 11 small nails which holds it all together. You also need a bit of wax as well, which already has some hexagon shapes to encourage the bees (though without it they would still make exactly the same shape and size!). It felt a little like the generation game as he was able to build this frame in a little over 4 minutes and then basically said over to you! There we were, all keen and eager to compete for the cuddly toy, gathering the wood, nails and hammers to have our own go at this technique.

I did the first one okay and felt pretty confident about it but then, on the second realised that one vital tool was missing from my repatoire – the pliers! I took it all for granted, nailed the wrong section and then got in a complete mess. To top it all off, after I had nailed it all together I realised that I had managed to put my hammer right through the wax and therefore left a gaping hole in the middle of it all! Not all lost however as I hear that the bees would fill in the gap with their own design – amazing I thought but sadly I didn’t think I would go any further in my quest for the cuddly toy.

It was quite a chilly morning, and has been for the last week despite fantastically glorious sunshine throughout the day, but you could see a few bees flying around. The site for this generation game was around the Reigate Beekeepers apiary and therefore in the little fenced off area you knew there were about 10 hives. Every time the sun made an appearance you spotted a few of them flying down to the areas which contained some water – I suppose they were gathering some up to take back to the hive. A lovely site.

Towards the end of the frame building it became evident that something I was holy unprepared for was about to happen. It was suggested that we may actually pop into the apiary and see if the bees were alright after their long winter of cuddling together to keep warm – they have to keep the hive at 32 degrees to keep the brood alive. I was completely taken aback by this as I had just considered that today my woodworking skills would be tested, not my comfort levels surrounded by hundreds if not thousands of bees – I have to say I think I was quite glad that I didn’t expect to have this event as I would have been quite nervous.

Anyway, in for a penny, in for a pound, I saw most of the others were going to get their bee suits on so I thought I would follow. By that time there was only a small and medium left – being a not so slim 6ft 5inches tall this wouldn’t be the best start but everyone was already getting going. Richard, someone I had met at the training course back before Christmas, helped me with the veil which felt distinctly weird to have around my face, and then I was ready to go.

By this point I felt slightly uncomfortable given the amount of flesh on show. Not only did I not bring any gloves with me (how stupid considering it was so cold and already my fingers had almost frozen off during the frame building exercise) but my lovely, and rather eye catching bee suit was only a medium and therefore it was riding up at the back exposing a nice bit of flesh for the little bees to attack – I also heard that they love to land and then walk upwards into dark areas – that was all I needed with a sizeable square footage of rump back skin available for them. I was also wearing jeans as well which I have heard is a complete no no when it comes to bees as they just don’t seem to like them. Brilliant I was thinking but everyone else was okay with it so on I went hoping for the best!

So in we went to the apiary like a line of ants. The first thing that struck me was that they were all kept in quite a small area given the fact that this was some 10 hives meaning that in the height of summer the area would house over half a million bees – can you imagine if they all swarmed at once! – this area was probably about 25ft by about 20ft.

With hardly any time to think the guy leading us – didn’t catch his name but he was also lovely and really explained it all in detail – just went right up to the first hive and took the lid off; no time to be nervous but my mouth was getting slightly dry at this point as I just didn’t know what to expect. Would there be many bees, would they fly all around me, would they make a beeline for me (it didn’t help, I found out later, that I was actually standing right in front of the entrance to the hive and therefore would be bumping into my back as they battled their way back to the hive – right onto my open skin laid bare! – I quickly moved). So he lifted the lid and there were a few crawling around on top and then he lifted it off and started to remove the frames. Fascinating.
All at once hundreds of bees flew into the air, as each frame was removed to check that they had enough stores until they could start to regularly forage again. It was an incredible sensation to see all of the 30 beekeepers surrounded by hundreds of bees. It was an even more incredible sensation to have to keep carm and put aside the urge to make a run for it. For all of my 31 years I have become very apt at avoiding situations with bees or wasps as I was taught that anything looking vaguely yellow and black (I got corrected here, quite rightly, that bees are brown and yellow) is going to hurt you. Here I was surrounded by them and feeling quite alright about it. I think it was the fact that everyone around me was also in the same situation.

There were a couple of times when the bees landed on my hands which felt a little too close for comfort and I was convinced, throughout the whole session inside the apiary, that I could feel something crawling up my back. I must of looked quite strange constantly pulling down my bee suit as I fought to close the gap at the back. I tell you another strange sensation......seeing a bee crawl right in front of you, across the veil, millimetres from your nose. You feel like that cartoon dog when the bee lands on its nose and its eyes go crossed to keep an eye on it. I have not crossed my eyes since I was about seven years old and that was only a matter of fun. Here I was, as an adult, seeing it as an act of life and death.
I have to say, the 20 minutes or so we spent inside the apiary were utterly compelling and really captivated me to the point that a lot of what I had learnt in the course just fell into place. Suddenly I could understand the differences between the hives (we went through a WBC, a national and a polystyrene one – apparently these always get the bees started early in the year but are a nightmare to clean though are a lot cheaper), the fact that the bees all cuddle together to keep warm, the honey stores and where they are, the capped egg cells, what a queen looked like.....I could keep going and going.

Once I had struggled out of my bee suit, relived I hadn’t been stung, nobody had actually, we went through the crucial skill of lighting a smoker – if it goes out mid inspection I can only imagine the chaos! – which was a really useful skill to learn and one I am glad I have sampled.

Sadly after a couple of hours I had to leave but they were all still there honing their new found skills and enthusiasm. There is one thing that I really took away from the day though; it is absolutely crucial to join an association. The fee I have paid Reigate Beekeepers on an annual basis was worth it just for that session. There was about 30 new beekeepers there and I would guess about 7 experienced ones on hand to help out and answer questions, make tea and coffee (how fantastic that it was made over a calor gas make shift stove with giant, almost witch like, kettles – always makes it taste better!) or just be on hand to help you in any way they could. There cannot be too many hobbies or pastimes that are learnt with that degree of help from more experienced helpers.
In summary I learnt a lot about bees, I learnt that despite 30 odd years of running away from them, I could actually stand in an area surrounded by them but ultimately I learnt that beekeeping really is a way of life and that people are truly passionate about the little things and are so keen to help others realise this same feeling. What a truly unique morning. ]]> jamesdearsley http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=399 The revenge of the insectophobes??? http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=398 Sun, 07 Mar 2010 22:09:43 GMT After wheezing round 3 laps of the park with my running buddy yesterday, I felt hot. I thought the bees must be out, so went to check the allotment... After wheezing round 3 laps of the park with my running buddy yesterday, I felt hot. I thought the bees must be out, so went to check the allotment bees. Not a bee in sight. It must have been 8C, so that made sense.

After another jog today again was convinced that if I was in a T-shirt, the bees might be at least on cleasing flights. Went to look at garden bees and none flying, but I could see a lot of dead bees on the open mesh floor - perhaps a couple of mug fulls. Gingerly lifted the roof and the block of fondant I put on after the oxalic acid treatment was virtually untouched. Eventually opened up the box only to find them all dead. My first thought was that someone who lives close who doesn't like bees had interfered with them, but that was a mad thought. The other thought I had was that since I was never top of the class for maths, did I mix up the oxalic too strong? I was gripped with terror; had all 8 hives and the 3 nucs been overdosed by me?

The frames around the brood nest were empty of stores, with just one of the outside frames having any left. I think they starved, despite the fondant. I am not 100% sure though. This colony has been nothing but trouble...producing queen cells every 3 or 4 weeks in the Summer... even when I bought in the expensive queens. That it was a sickly colony was why I didn't move it to one of the out apiaries. I didn't want the others getting the same problem.

Made a bonfire with all the frames and dead bees and rushed off to check the other apiaries.

Nothing too unsual there. The 3 nucs were out of fondant. The biggest colony headed by a New Zealand Italian, which had had to stay on a brood and a half because it could not fit in the one brood box, had managed to clear out nearly all the stores. Greedy Italians.

I did oxalic treatment in the first week of January and gave them all fondant, just in case. Was surprised that some had eaten the lot. I think that if I hadn't checked them today 2 of the nucs would have been dead next week and the big colony of Italians and the other nuc the week after. I was lucky after all.

Next challenge is now to sterilise the hive parts from the dead colony. Annoyingly, the plastic runners will melt if I scorch the hive. ]]> Karin http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=398 Going for Jumbo http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=397 Sat, 20 Feb 2010 22:33:40 GMT Have been mulling over what one of the beardy beekeepers with the flamboyant jumpers said at the last meeting..... He keeps his bees on double... Have been mulling over what one of the beardy beekeepers with the flamboyant jumpers said at the last meeting.....

He keeps his bees on double (National) brood boxes most of the Summer because the most important thing for him is that his bees don't swarm, so that he doesn't upset the neighbours. He said he just likes bees and is not too bothered about getting honey.

His logic is:
More room = much less chance of swarms

Since relations with the neighbours are still not brilliant......will they actually go to lawyers as promised if I have another swarm this Spring?..... I am going to order some jumbos to give the bees more room. I didn't get on with double brood boxes.... and I have to admit that I must have missed one or two queen cells with them too. The bees also got wound up everytime I had to break the brace comb between the two boxes to inspect.

Have written the cheque to send off to the joiner up north. Can't wait.:D ]]> Karin http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=397 Speaking to the locals.......how scary! http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=396 Thu, 18 Feb 2010 21:12:53 GMT One of the lessons I was taught during my beekeeping course was to speak to your local beekeepers. At some point, because of the fact that your bees... One of the lessons I was taught during my beekeeping course was to speak to your local beekeepers. At some point, because of the fact that your bees will be flying up to 3 miles to collect food, there will be the inevitable mid air collisions, turf wars and bees getting jealous of each others queens being prettier than theirs. :D

Perhaps, more seriously, speaking to local beekeepers is out of politeness, communication and support networks and also, what was said to be the most important, to know, locally, what bees are doing; are there any local diseases, what is the honey flow like and simply to avoid any surprises locally.

I knew of two beekeepers near me which I felt I should make contact with. Both of them were probably within a half a mile of where I am planning to put my bees so I thought it apt to start there. There was one beekeeper who lives in a fantastic house in the heart of the village who apparently runs about 7 hives and sells his honey to the village. The other beekeeper was only a distant rumour. There is a farmshop at the bottom of our small, bump ridden, car killing road and supposedly they ran some hives. After further investigation it wasn't the lovely lady at the shop who always takes a shine to Sebastian, but it was actually a commercial beekeeper who stores some of his hives there. Yikes! Is this guy really going to want to talk to me I thought at the time!
Its funny but I felt quite nervous while trying to get hold of them as I simply didn't know what to expect. Here was I, this young, enthusiastic, naive, new beekeeper trying to say hello (wasn't sure what else to say!) to these super human beekeepers who have probably been doing it for years.

Anyway, before Christmas I spent some time drafting a nice, polite and well thought through letter to the owner of the big house in the village, complementing them on the fact that I noticed they have a nice garden (??!!) and just saying hello. To this day I have heard nothing! Oh well. That made me even more self conscious about speaking to this commercial beekeeper who obviously doesn't use an estate car to drive around his hives (see previous post about this sort of madness) but probably was like those professional beekeepers in the US I have heard about who drive around in lorries full of hives shipping them from State to State and orchard to orchard.

I had a name given to me but the lovely lady at the shop stating that this mans name was Derek so tentatively I called him up this evening (quite glad that I had a corporate meeting today and therefore a few glasses of wine were sunk beforehand - nice corporate meeting hey!?). His son answered the phone so I thought this might not be too bad. Here I was expecting this booming voice (why? I have no idea), and this nice gentle voice said hello. "Hi Derek, my name is James" I said, "and I would like to have some hives nearby the farm in Newdigate please".

The rest, they say, is history. Admittedly he was immediately worried that I just had this crazy idea to start beekeeping, which is actually not far from the truth, but was relieved to hear that I had done a course and was obviously serious about it all. After that, it was really nice to speak to a beekeeper (who had 30 hives incidentally) and has again made it all a little bit more real and he has invited me to the Spring check - whenever that may be - how exciting. ]]> jamesdearsley http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=396 Why would you drive with hives! http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=395 Sun, 07 Feb 2010 20:49:40 GMT Sunday 7th February Jo and I have just staggered back from a fanatastic wedding in Oxford. Not only was it at Blenhiem Palace, the birth place of... Sunday 7th February

Jo and I have just staggered back from a fanatastic wedding in Oxford. Not only was it at Blenhiem Palace, the birth place of Winston Churchil, which was stuning, but it was, far more importantly and of far more historical importance, the first night we have been away from Sebastian, together. It was quite surreal and yet quite lovely to actually have time together – we got exciting going into Beaconsfield Service Station for example knowing that we could sit down, have a coffee and read the paper! We have obviously reached that age where even a motorway service station is enjoyable!

I was in the bad books as I decided to extend my trial of whiskey (I have never liked whiskey but really want to “learn” how to drink it!) last night and promptly went through three or four samples at way past bed time. I Just love the ideology of whiskey, the heavy tumbler, the ice, a roaring fire and a traditional drink that is steeped in history! The pub had all of those elements last night and so I couldn’t escape it especially as our friends Ian and Darren are seasoned whiskey drinkers! A couple of hours later and feeling as if I could say I was a whiskey drinker, I stumbled away from the bar. Great wedding Sarah and Ben, congratulations.

Seb loved being away from us by the way. He had a great time with Nanny, not realising we had gone away. Typical!

Since I last spoke wrote there have been several developments. I have now had time to read through the plans for the beehive; oh my god it looks complicated, there is no way I will be able to build a hive perfectly. The pressure was increased markedly when I was doing my research and a read that a hive should have absolutely no holes or gaps anywhere if you want your bees to survive through the winter. Apparently, if there are these gaps, it generates a draft which makes it harder for the bees to keep the constant 35 degrees needed to protect the brood. No pressure then James!
There was also a really funny comment in the plans and my eyes just went out on stalks when I thought of the consequences! It states that the National Hive is preferred by many because “more hives may be packed on commercial vehicles or the domestic car” – yes that was the domestic car! Now I had heard that this may occur but I didn’t believe it. Who would be crazy enough to put a beehive in their own car! Can you imagine if just one of the little insects got out and the carnage that could cause, let alone all 60,000. I then read on a little further........”and up to 8, transported in estate models” WHAT!!!! One hive was mad eight would be bonkers! Imagine if they all got out, 480,000 bees flying around the car; what on earth would other drivers be thinking!

So I will be sending my plans to my father to just pass on some of the panic and get prepared. I have to find the cedar wood to start with as this is what is recommended. Where on earth am I going to find that?
I have also now started to ramp up the Facebook work – I have not got a clue what I am doing! I have joined lots of groups now and set up my own “The Beginner Beekeeper Group” to see if I can help others by showing that it can be done whilst hopefully getting more mature and experienced beekeepers to help us all out. I seem to have acquired 25 people following already which is nice. I hope they know what they have got themselves in to!
I have posted lots of comments on other peoples “groups” because apparently this is what I should be doing as it raises exposure for my own (and also this blog) so hopefully I can meet some nice people along the way.

Anyway, jobs for this week:

• Panic and find out where to buy Cedar wood
• Panic and try to find a mentor in the local area (apparently this is really important to beginners – I think I will need more help than most!)
• Panic and write letters to my farmers to see if they mind putting the hives on their fields
• Panic and then just simply relax ]]> jamesdearsley http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=395 the nuc has gone home http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=394 Thu, 04 Feb 2010 21:41:14 GMT I was talking to my mate the other day and told him I need to get the nuc back to the orchard but my knee is knackered and its too muddy to drive to... I was talking to my mate the other day and told him I need to get the nuc back to the orchard but my knee is knackered and its too muddy to drive to the hives........

no problem he says, I've got the mud tyres fitted to the Discovery, we'll sort it tomorrow morning :D


so yesterday morning it was raining so all I had to do was shut the entrance and pick the box up and carry it to the Disco, job jobbed.

while I was over there I wanted to open up the other two hives to check on their stores, but as it was raining I let them be. it dried up in the afternoon so I went back over to the orchard to find a cloud of bees buzzing around all three entrances :D

yay, all three hives are alive at the moment, I lifted the lids to find the two hives have stores, I gave them a Lb of fondant each just to make sure they have enough to see them through untill spring really has sprung.

so far so good :) ]]> tafflade http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=394 Bees on Facebook http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=393 Mon, 01 Feb 2010 20:34:06 GMT Something that I never thought I would hear myself say........"I am now on Facebook". I have avoided Facebook like the plague for many years, despite being a great advocate of Social Media Marketing in my corporate life. I have never liked the thought of it and the fact that everyone can see everything about you but I have been shown another path and in the interests of keeping the bees going I have logged on!

I have now also gone and organised a group for new beekeepers as well entitled "The Beginner Beekeepers Group" - quite a Ronseal type of group really - it does exactly what it says! I have to say that beekeeping could certainly benefit for a dose of Social Media Marketing to bring it out of the dark ages. There is a lot to be said for the way that marketing works nowadays and Facebook is just one example (I can not believe just how many groups there are dedicated to the art of beekeeping - amazing)

Lets see what happens and see if anyone is interested in joining to watch me make lots of mistakes when it comes to working with bees. At the end of the day, if I can make the mistakes for other people, so that they don't have to, all the better then!

On another note, I finally got chitting the potatoes yesterday - I wonder if there is a group for that!? ]]> jamesdearsley http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=393 Bring on Spring! http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=392 Fri, 29 Jan 2010 21:21:48 GMT It is nearly February and already I am feeling frustrated. I have had a fantastic three months learning the art of beekeeping…….in the theoretical... It is nearly February and already I am feeling frustrated. I have had a fantastic three months learning the art of beekeeping…….in the theoretical sense! I have met and communicated with a lot of lovely people over a variety of Social Media Marketing channels (Twitter being the main one) and have generally felt at home in beekeeping circles – more of this in a later post as I truly believe that this medium is made for Beekeepers to communicate……

I have been lucky enough to have my blog well publicised in The Surrey Life Magazine with Matthew Williams being a great help and I have also started to get some interest from BBC Surrey as well. Both these guys want to publicise the blog and follow my progress as I learn the beekeeping trade and try to teach people how not to do it!

However, I really want to get some hands on experience, if anything just to look inside a hive, know how I will feel when I open the roof for the first time – will I be scared, will I have the nervous excitement of a 4 year old child or will I just be my relaxed self? Somehow I doubt it will be the latter because I have been living and even dreaming the bee world for these three months.

I want to know how it feels to have the bees flying all around you, I want to know how it feels to put on the Bee suit (I wonder if it makes you feel invincible or will it just make you feel self conscious and silly?), I want to remember that I must put elastic bands over my gloves/sleeves to stop bees wandering up them. I want to understand what it must feel like to have a veil on, let alone knowing how I will feel seeing a bee walk across my eyeline, millimetres from my nose. I want to know what the smell is like when you light the smoker for the first time and I want to feel all experienced when you hook it onto your bee suit (is this what you do or is it a recipe for disaster!?). I want to know if I am brave enough to actually try to pick up a bee, to handle it without hurting it, just to see what they are all about. I want to pick a frame out of the hive like I have been doing it all my life and check both sides in that sweeping movement that beekeepers make while checking for problems or looking for the queen. I want to know if I will be able to find the queen when I am looking at thousands upon thousands of other bees!

Pause for breath!:eek:

I just want to get started so that I can communicate my feelings and adventures to other aspiring beekeepers. I simply want to show people that, if I can become a beekeeper, anyone can. I suppose, at the end of the day, I just want to start making my one pot of honey. ]]> jamesdearsley http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=392 spot the nuc http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=391 Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:07:33 GMT well then, can you see it? Image: http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e94/taffktm/IMG_5234.jpg no? lets get a bit closer.... there it... well then, can you see it?




no?

lets get a bit closer....

there it is, cunningly disguised by a composting bin




just 2 simple reasons for it.

firstly, camouflage, the neighbour is a proper Mr Anti anything that lives and isn't human, it must be dead :rolleyes:

secondly, it has kept the nuc box drier throughout the winter.

the nuc is only in the garden as a temp measure because they were suffering really badly with wasps, it is due to go back over to the orchard as soon as I can walk well enough again :) ]]> tafflade http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=391 What an exciting day.... http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=390 Tue, 26 Jan 2010 21:46:36 GMT Today is quite an exciting day for me as I feel that little bit closer to being a beekeeper. I have joined an association of Beekeepers! I am now an... Today is quite an exciting day for me as I feel that little bit closer to being a beekeeper. I have joined an association of Beekeepers! I am now an official member of Reigate Beekeepers. :)

I have paid my £45 membership fee which, for all the added benefits, seems quite reasonable.
During this membership I am entitled to attend all of their Summer and Winter meetings (and there are many of them!) and what I didn’t realise, it includes insurance for up to three beehives. Isn’t it crazy that you now need insurance against “your” bees stinging people! :confused:What is the world coming to. Next you may have to insure against the equivalent of the butterfly effect but in bee circles; your bees are responsible for the high winds in Spain that have blown over a few orange trees and a farmer isn’t particularly happy!

On a serious note though I do understand that this fee includes compensation for hive losses to baddies like small hive beetle and the like.
If you want more information about Reigate Beekeepers you can see their website at www.reigatebeekeepers.org.uk or e-mail them direct at bees@reigatebeekeepers.org.uk (best speak to Michael Hill who is in charge of membership)

All very good and very exciting and I am one step closer to obtaining one pot of honey this year! ]]> jamesdearsley http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=390 Jan 2010 http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=389 Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:01:31 GMT its been a while since I last posted here so lets have a quick recap on where we are. at the end of the summer I re-queened one colony and made up... its been a while since I last posted here so lets have a quick recap on where we are.

at the end of the summer I re-queened one colony and made up a nuc to keep the old queen as insurance, this left me with one strong colony, a weaker colony and a nuc.

the strong colony is still going strong and the nuc is going fine, the nuc was brought home to the garden due to wasp attack. the neighbours wouldn't be happy if they knew they are there so they are 180ft away from the house and have a composting bin over the top of the box. The composting bin has actually helped to keep the box dry from the rain, only the front gets exposed to some rain.

I had a comedy moment a few days ago when next doors cat came down to see what I was looking at, when I leant forward to see how many dead bees were outside the entrance the cat went right in for a sniff

one guard bee buzzing in a cats ear makes for fun viewing :D

fortunately the bee was fine after the ordeal :)


the weaker colony in the orchard should really have gone into a nuc box, there's one big lesson learnt. I wont be too surprised if they dont make it through the winter, they wern't flying the last time I went over, the other hive was flying quite strongly. :(


the strong colony is going into a 14x12 brood box in the spring, my mind isn't made up yet weather to do a shook swarm or a Bailey change, the shook swarm should knock back varroa a bit more but as they are a grumpy colony anyway it may well apset them a bit more making them even worse in the long run, with this in mind the bailey looks a bit more attractive.

I've changed division of BBKA, the one I have joined this year have some really interesting things on the years agenda and some ambitious plans that I'm hoping to get involved in.
first off is 10 free frames and foundation for every member to encourage people to get the old black comb out of their brood boxes, what a cracking idea :) ]]> tafflade http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=389 My adventures with beehives http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=388 Thu, 21 Jan 2010 10:40:11 GMT For some time now I have been considering what hive to get as there are so many. However, in light of this being a blog about learning from my... For some time now I have been considering what hive to get as there are so many. However, in light of this being a blog about learning from my mistakes I have decided to try a different path. I am going to try a variety of different ones!

I am certain that I should be thinking about a 14*12 National hive because it makes sense to give the brood more space but I am also quite certain that I like the traditional WBC hives that you associate with bees – if for no other reason that they look nice and are the quintessential beehive! Therefore I am pretty sure that I will try both. But there is a twist……..

…………I may also get a 3rd, more modern version, the Omlet bee hive or the “Beehaus” as they call it. This is a Neil Armstrong sized leap away from the quintessential beehive but I am keen to give everyone an alternative. At the end of the day, I could not help other new beekeepers if I haven’t tried all options could I!

At the end of the day, if Omlet state “With a Beehaus in your garden, you’ll soon be saying “show me the honey”!” how can I refuse?! All I want to do this year is to make one pot of honey, if I will be ending the year shouting “show me the honey” while running around the field at the end of my garden, in a Jerry Maguire type way, I will certainly have succeeded in my aim.

There is another twist to all of this as well. With regard the more traditional hives I will be looking at how easy it is to build my own as well. What I have learnt so far is that you can get delivered a complete hive if you so desire (too easy in my book!), you can get all the wood already pre cut, and you just have to put it all together (not bad option for the WBC hive perhaps), or you can just download plans from the internet and try to concoct your own little hive – that is what I have to do! It could be a disaster but I have to give it a go.

Therefore, a date has already been set, my father and I will be building a bee hive on the weekend of the 6th March. Bearing in mind my father is the founder of the term “a Dearsley bodge job” I am sure that the attempts on making a beehive will perhaps not be as expected!

So there you have it, I am hoping to test out a “Dearsly Bodged” 14*12 national hive, a pre cut WBC hive and possibly even the rather slick looking, Jerry Maguire shouting, Beehaus. What is certain is that I will be looking to report all my findings here and on Twitter, I hope you follow my adventures! ]]> jamesdearsley http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=388 Warm today. Snow almost all melted. Time to plan and clean. http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=387 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 16:37:19 GMT Went out to check allotment bees. Some hives lots of action - orientation flights, gathering water and cleansing flights I think. No pollen going... Went out to check allotment bees. Some hives lots of action - orientation flights, gathering water and cleansing flights I think. No pollen going in. The 2 quieter hives and the quiet nuc were still alive, so they have all survived the oxalic acid at least. Bees in garden alive too, but quiet.

Managed to get the bellows off the smoker and soak it in a bucket of washing soda overnight so that most of the baked on tar and propolis have come off. It looks shiny now.

If all the bees survive I am going to need more brood boxes for swarm control, but Thornes Sale didn't go big on Langstroth. No more room in the shed either and I'm not allowed to keep kit in the house. I will have to try sweet talking the boss at the allotments to see if he will let me build something. Building a shelter will probably be a serious challenge for me though since I don't seem to have any of the right skills.

This afternoon I have been trying to split logs with an axe. (More Winter to come I think.) Managed to make some holes in the lawn where I missed and eventually husband plucked up courage to suggest I vary my technique, but even after tuition, I was still very bad at it. ]]> Karin http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=387 The bees in the snow....poor things http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=386 Tue, 12 Jan 2010 09:35:41 GMT I am sat here on a nice comfy sofa with my legs stretched out in front of me. I am looking at a lovely open fire that is radiating warmth and I feel... I am sat here on a nice comfy sofa with my legs stretched out in front of me. I am looking at a lovely open fire that is radiating warmth and I feel that slightly numb affect of a couple of glasses of wine. Music is playing in the background and the cat is asleep on the piano stool. A Saturday evening couldn't really get much more relaxing.

I am sat here with a rather large conscience however. I cannot stop thinking about the poor honey bees stuck outside in their small wooden boxes with none of the creature comforts that I have just mentioned. Their only luxury I suppose is for a nice beekeeper to realise their plight and give them some nice sugary liquid to keep their stores topped up (note to self – must learn more about Feeding the Bees!)

It was the evening before my birthday (6th January) when Jo and I were taking down the Christmas decorations (I hate that about Christmas especially because when I was growing up my birthday was synominous with saying goodbye to Christmas for another year) that the snow started. Typically we had got most of the inside organised and all the baubles (big on baubles this year!) and other random accompaniments tidied away (even the remaining Christmas chocolate got tidied up!) and all that was left was the outside lights and to take the remains of the Christmas tree outside; this was when the sky decided to throw snow at me! It started pretty light as I was dealing with the Christmas tree but Mr Weather must have seen just how complicated a job it would be to take the outdoor lights down. I got well and truly smacked by snowball after snowball from above. Needless to say the snow just kept on coming and I got colder and colder.

We woke on my actual birthday to find the largest snowfall that I can recall. The view outside our window was majestic and there was no way I would have made it into work. As my birthday got under way my thoughts turned to how the bees must cope in this weather. What on earth would they do?

It has been said that this has been the longest cold spell for nearly 30 years and yet again the cynics of Global Warming are jumping on the bandwagon. Cold is one thing though but snow is quite another, especially when bees are concerned.

From what I understand, in the cold, the bees that remain in the hive over winter (there can be up to 60,000 during the summer) simply huddle up to keep the hive at a constant temperature (35ºC from memory). They simply take it in turns to cuddle the queen while the bees on the outside get very cold backs. Then they swap around and this carries on for the whole winter - amazing survival sense if you ask me!

The snow however, brings about a whole new challenge which I had never considered before reading one of my books in preparation of this blog. During the Winter I understand that bees rely on their own stores of honey to see them through the season. If there is not enough of this (a greedy beekeeper may have enjoyed a bit too much!) there maybe some artificial feed offered to the bees in the form of a sugary syrup. However, on a warmer or brighter day - there have been a lot of these in past winters - some bees do escape the hive to either forage or simply get rid of waste products. When it snows, despite the cold temperatures, you get an artificial brightness because of the UV light off of the snow! This can fool some bees into flying from the little huddle they have created which keeps them all warm. This is something I had never ever considered.

This is a travesty for them as they are ultimately cold blooded creatures. Therefore if they have been tempted outside of the hive, it is highly likely that they will not make it back inside because their muscles will simply cease up and they will not be able to fly at all. This is not a nice way to go. From my understanding all we can do is to brush away the snow from around the hive to avoid this situation!

What is for sure I much prefer thinking of the humble honey bee during the summer months when they have a fantastic set up and a fantastic job to do. Roll on summer I say! ]]> jamesdearsley http://www.britishbee.org.uk/forum/blog.php?b=386