How To Handle Swarm Season
Three swarms last year You could write a book on the subject of ‘how to handle swarm season’, and several people have. In the one thousand or so words allotted to this blog post, I shall therefore have to miss…
Tag: Springtime
Swarming Time and Solving the Space Problem
The mini-plus tower was split into two 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…
Unleashing my bees on new sites
Apiary in an orchard 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…
Queen excluders: are they needed for successful beekeeping?
Framed wire queen excluder Answer: it depends. That is always the answer for every beekeeping question, or so it seems. Actually, there is one which is always ‘yes’ – see end of this article. When I had kept bees for…
Spring Fever: Beekeeping Activities for the New Season
Fondant applied to the tops of frames I’m writing this on 19th February and my bees are based in Cheshire, UK, just south of Manchester. We have a mild climate, without extremes of cold in winter nor extremes of heat…
Pollen is Vital to Honey Bee Health and Survival
Grains of pollen I have returned to Manchester from three days ‘down South’ in London and Surrey, having had my eye surgery, which was a great success. The surgeon said something like “Stephen’s perfect” when describing the state of my…
Crunching numbers to stay ahead of the bees
Find out how maths can transform your beekeeping Number crunching on a spreadsheet (Randy Oliver Model) I am no maths (‘math’ in the USA) genius, but I do like to mess about on a spreadsheet. The magic happens when data…
News from UK and CA
Travels for 'Interviews with Beekeepers' Many people, myself included, find spring to be their favourite season. The arrival of snowdrops, then crocuses, blackthorn and early blossoms together with frantic pollen-collecting activity by the bees is a welcome antidote to lockdown.…
Busy as a Beekeeper
Horse Chestnut Tree In Flower by Renoir Busy as a beekeeper: Here in my part of England, the weather is currently absolutely perfect, and we have shaken off the oppressive depressed state induced by a long cold Winter followed by…