Category Archives: Bee-keeping

Memory Lane, 22nd May 2023: Swarm in a bucket

After three weeks and twenty-one swarms I was starting to run out of kit that I’d never thought I’d use again, let alone the “good stuff”. I ended up shaking this swarm into a bucket when it arrived on a … Continue reading

Posted in Bee-keeping, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

Nasty bees

Thanks to an EFB outbreak locally I have an inspection booked with the seasonal bee inspector on Thursday, so I thought I’d take the time to have a quick check over of the hives beforehand. I opened the first hive … Continue reading

Posted in Bee-keeping, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

Memory Lane, 21st May 2023: A pair of pairs of swarms?

I visited a bait hive today and found this: As the “clump” of bees outside didn’t appear to be having anything to do with those inside, I guessed that it was perhaps two different swarms that had tried to move … Continue reading

Posted in Bee-keeping, Smallholding | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Super-quick super frames

Looking through my supers today I decided that I probably don’t have sufficient frames for the Summer, so used my new frame-making jig to make up another twenty (as well as the ten I made yesterday) and dug out a … Continue reading

Posted in Bee-keeping, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

Memory Lane, 19th May 2023: Here comes another one!

Not my nineteenth nervous breakdown, though I feel I could be excused if it were. I was called out this evening to have a look at this swarm that a couple had discovered entering their chimney and smoked back out … Continue reading

Posted in Bee-keeping | Tagged | Leave a comment

A swarm is announced

Or perhaps not. Lots of activity around my home bait hive, though I didn’t see (nor hear) them arrive. But when I went to move them in the evening, there was no sign of them. I think I need to … Continue reading

Posted in Bee-keeping, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

Let’s have a little jig

One the rain started this morning, I retired to the workshop for the day. I was casting around for things to do when I realised that I had sufficient bits to make two more fat dummies, so I got those … Continue reading

Posted in Bee-keeping, Projects, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

Memory Lane, 18th May 2023: Another one of those swarms

I was asked today if I could deal with a swarm that had turned up at a local church. Apparently it had been there a day or two and no-one had thought of me before. I got there and found … Continue reading

Posted in Bee-keeping | Tagged | Leave a comment

An empty apiary

With all the driving around I’ve done because of this bee swarm in the house, I thought I might as well drop off a bait hive at an apiary I had to empty a couple of weeks back. The water … Continue reading

Posted in Bee-keeping, Smallholding | Tagged | Leave a comment

Bee Invasion, part 2

I’m not sure how many parts there are going to bee (ho ho) to this. Hopefully not many. I went down to have a look at the swarm this morning and it’s not good. The hole the bees are using … Continue reading

Posted in Bee-keeping | Tagged | Leave a comment