How do we learn the noble art of beekeeping? I suppose it’s a combination of practice and theory, bolstered by reading books, chatting to others, attending courses and so on. I doubt that I am the only beekeeper who occasionally suffers from the urge to ‘meddle’ — I try things out to see if they … Read more
Yes, I’m going to go on about varroa mites again. What percentage of beekeepers carry out an alcohol wash on their colonies to understand the mite loads of those colonies? I reckon it’s a low number, maybe below 5%. A small, but possibly growing slice of the people who don’t monitor with an alcohol wash, … Read more
When I was between the ages of five and ten years old, I was labelled a “genius” and a “prodigy” by several of my teachers because everything came easy. Once I went to secondary school, it soon became apparent that I was neither of those things; I had just been a slightly quicker developer than … Read more
The ability of honey bees to grow their colonies from little nucs to enormous hives with bursting supers is extraordinary. Some colonies that came out of winter looking small are now booming. Others dwindled and were shaken out, just to prove that nothing is always great. I still marvel at the growth rate of colonies … Read more
Beekeeping, eh? What’s it all about? I’m sure there are many answers to that question, but I’m going to talk about myself, as that way, hopefully, I can’t annoy too many people. The following is to provide the big picture: successful beekeeping, according to this walrus. Doesn’t really matter why I have my reasons for … Read more
How do you get your first bees? The Intolerance of Humans Newcomers to beekeeping will soon discover that there are rival factions in our ranks. One might expect that we should all be friends, us lovers of honey bees. Sadly, humans are not always the most tolerant of creatures; we seem to be able to … Read more
Over the years, I have figured out a few things about beekeeping in my area. Every area will be different, but the one that I care about is the one in which my beehives sit. Although seasons vary, they tend to follow a pattern which repeats each year. The changing levels of light and temperature, … Read more
As I was planting out some tomatoes at my Mum’s place today, I became aware of a voice emanating from my back pocket. I grabbed my phone and was horrified to discover that I had “butt called” Murray McGregor of Denrosa Apiaries. I’m crazy busy right now, what with queen rearing and making nucs and … Read more