If ‘bee improvement’ is something that you are striving for, and I hope it is, then the thorny issue of introducing queens will inevitably arise. By this, I mean the situation where I have removed a colony’s queen, and have replaced it with a cell, virgin, or mated queen of my choosing. This goes against … Read more
Audio (podcast version) is here When you look at what would be expected to happen in a stable population of ‘wild’ honey bees, such as those in the Arnot forest, it is initially quite shocking how much death there is in nature. She is a harsh taskmaster, and it is not always the fittest that … Read more
Despite the glorious recent sunshine, there was little nectar coming into the hives according to the ’shake test’. It is time to start clearing supers and taking away the honey. It looks like we are on for about 2,000 lbs (907 kg) of summer honey based on the full supers sat on the hives. Unfortunately, … Read more
This is a time when some large discrepancies show up between colonies. One of my apiaries was absolutely booming and nearly every hive bursting with bees. In other places, the picture is more varied. However, I did find my first charged queen cell today, so the season is well and truly underway for me. Swarming … Read more
Spring has arrived here in Walrus-land, so it’s time to do some actual bee work at last. This coming season will be a year of expansion. The winter has certainly seen some undesired growth in my waistline, but that’s the wrong kind of expansion for me. Hopefully, my frantic beekeeping activities will help to burn … Read more
It’s finally happened. I bought a van. It’s only a small van, but a van it is. Not only can I carry around a lot more bee stuff and bees, but I can also drive like a madman, and nobody will care – vans do that. It’s part of the code. Actually, I try to … Read more