Chickens in a tree

Latest Events Of Note

Chickens in a tree Latest Walrus News I don't know why, but this tickled me. A couple of enterprising chickens managed to hop onto the tree. They were furiously pecking at the green leaves, the only green things available at…
Almond plantation in California viewed from the air

Spreading The Word

The pollination of California’s almonds is the largest annual managed-pollination event in the world - Bloomberg Last year, or perhaps the one before, I stumbled upon the Ulster BKA 'Winter Webinars,' and I'm so glad I did. The speakers are…
Mersey valley in winter showing frost on trees

The Fight Continues

Winter is nearly over It won't be long until spring has sprung and beekeepers across the land start to open hives and assess how their bees did over the winter. I could be more cynical than the average walrus, but…
Chart 3 'Caged Queen' method

Charting Brood Breaks

Following on from my article about using brood breaks to help with varroa management, I'm going to get into 'death by charts' territory today. Regular readers will know that I'm a big fan of Randy Oliver's spreadsheet model, which can…
Varroa Mite close up view

Brood Breaks to Control Varroa

Varroa Mite (https://aristabeeresearch.org/varroa/) Varroa mites have been a big problem for honey bees in most of Europe and North America for thirty or more years. Many colony deaths stem from varroa and associated viruses, and many beekeepers probably don't even…
Hollyhock in Ulta Violet light

Nine Years In

Hollyhock in Ulta Violet light I am coming to the end of my ninth beekeeping season. I started with two hives, and now I have nearly forty, including nucs. My journey has just begun, but at least I'm through the…
Steve Donohoe and Elaine Bousfield taking a break in Argyll

Give us a Break

Mr & Mrs W taking a break in Argyll Somebody asked me yesterday, "what makes a good beekeeper?" I don't know if I'm qualified to answer that, but what I said was, "If you can keep your bees alive from…
three witches from Macbeth

The Three Curses

When Shall we Three meet Again? There is always something new to learn about bees. The same probably applies to almost anything. Material for my blog posts should be endless and easy to come by. Ubiquitous, you might say. I…
Hazel Catkins

Let’s Keep Some Perspective

Pollen even in Winter Losing sleep about bees Beekeepers, especially those new to the noble art, get anxious about a multitude of factors surrounding the keeping of their bees. I know this by looking at posts on beekeeping forums and letters in the…