Beekeeping is an annual cycle, and the decisions you make — or fail to make — at each stage have consequences that ripple forward for months. This category covers the seasonal rhythm of colony management in the UK: spring build-up and swarm prevention, summer honey production, post-harvest treatment and feeding, winter preparation, and the critical late-season period when the quality of your winter bees is being determined. It also includes the less predictable aspects of British seasons: dearths that arrive at the wrong time, weather that collapses a nectar flow, and autumns that do not behave like autumns.
The emphasis throughout is on proactive management — understanding what the colony needs before it becomes urgent, and planning around probabilities rather than reacting to surprises. Experienced beekeepers will recognise the patterns; newer beekeepers will find these posts useful for building a mental model of how a season actually unfolds in practice.
I’ve been in the wars lately, which is why I haven’t written much on here. Plus, of course, it becomes increasingly difficult to find new ways to say things as each season passes. As we enter spring, it’s time to talk about avoiding starvation, first inspections, checking for disease, blah blah blah. I’m a world-class … Read more
This week I did a Zoom talk for the Suffolk beekeepers, which was fun. Well, as much fun as it can be for an introvert. Maybe the virtual environment suits people like me who shy away from big crowds and do better in a one-to-one situation. However, sometimes it’s good to know if people are … Read more
This summer has been a damp squib. Literally damp, but what on earth is a squib?! I always wondered about that expression. Apparently, a squib is a firework, so a damp squib would be a disappointment if you were expecting an impressive explosion. Damp squib: “a situation or event which is much less impressive than … Read more
I have been keeping a low profile of late because I have a touch of walrus flu. I don’t think it’s anything exciting like that Covid-19, but who knows? A couple of weeks ago I got back from the gym feeling decidedly green about the whiskers, and since then I’ve been a bit off. Given … Read more
I had a lovely chat with David Kemp this week on the telephone. He is a talker! It’s always a privilege and a pleasure to hear his stories, and he’s still going strong at 82 years of age. I asked him for the secret to long life and happiness, and he said that a lot … Read more
How this Walrus does it I harvested my last honey in August and treated for mites as soon as the honey supers were off. This works for me. Many beekeepers leave the harvest until later, maximising their honey crop, but I’m happy with what I do. At that time my bees are still bringing in … Read more
It’s that time of the year when it’s time for me to start to get my hives ready for the winter. I’m currently treating all of them with Apivar, which means that the evil varroa destructor mites are taking a beating. If I had any weak colonies, I would combine them with stronger ones after … Read more
Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer’s lease hath all too short a date (William Shakespeare, from Sonnet 18) The End is Nigh Strange as it may seem, we are approaching the end of the beekeeping … Read more