Category Archives: Bee-keeping

The bee inspector cometh

Posted on June 15, 2026 by james

After multiple retries due to the weather and medical issues, our bee inspector arrived today to check over my hives for signs of EFB. She had to do all the heavy lifting unfortunately. By the end I was struggling just … Continue reading →

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I’ve never been able to see this

Posted on January 26, 2026 by james

I’m a beekeeper with a strong interest in astronomy. There’s an open cluster of around one thousand stars in the constellation of Cancer known by a number of names including Praesepe, Messier 44 and The Beehive Cluster. The latter is … Continue reading →

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A new beekeeping toy

Posted on January 17, 2026 by james

Recently I had the opportunity to buy a second-hand but barely-used electric 20-frame extractor. As it was being offered a fair bit cheaper than the 12-frame model I was contemplating, it seemed like a no-brainer. The only minor issue was … Continue reading →

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Eyes on the prize

Posted on January 12, 2026 by james

My honey, my local show 😀

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New swarm box in action

Posted on January 12, 2026 by james

I was asked if I could take a look at this swarm that appeared one Sunday afternoon above a path leading to a childrens’ nursery. “Not much chance of taking that in one hit”, I thought. Nonetheless I knocked as … Continue reading →

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More laser-cut honey boxes

Posted on January 11, 2026 by james

First, one for six standard 1lb round jars for Wivey Kitchen, from Wivey Grows. And then another box for my own honey, this time with my contact details on the back.

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Miscellaneous bait hives

Posted on January 11, 2026 by james

All of these use quite old Abelo poly brood boxes that weren’t made to the correct dimensions — they have both a top and a bottom bee space. The stands have sacrificial/adjustable legs. adjustable because nowhere around where I live … Continue reading →

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More laser-cut beekeeping stuff

Posted on January 11, 2026 by james

Honestly, I probably made these because I could rather than because laser-cutting was the best way to do them. First, a very fat dummy — to take up several frames worth of space in a queen-rearing box. And the same … Continue reading →

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This is a swarm I’ll pass on…

Posted on January 11, 2026 by james

In a hole that had rotted out of a tree after a branch fell off/was removed. The landowner wanted them removed before the tree was cut down a few days later. I decided that I didn’t fancy trying to do … Continue reading →

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Bait hive floors

Posted on January 10, 2026 by james

I’ve never had purpose-made bait hives. I just use old brood boxes that aren’t really good enough for bees to over-winter in. I paint them a dark green/grey so I can tell them apart from all the others. Then I … Continue reading →

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