Category Archives: Bee-keeping

It’s a bee day

Posted on May 20, 2024 by james

This morning I inspected the hives in my home apiary. Mostly they’re looking good. I had to add a super to a couple of colonies and a second brood box to another, found a queen and marked her. One colony … Continue reading →

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Super frames finally finished

Posted on May 20, 2024 by james

I finally finished making up all my super frames and got them stacked up at the bee shed ready to go. It’s been a bit of a slog getting these done, but I really ought to try to get through … Continue reading →

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More super frames

Posted on May 16, 2024 by james

Yup, I’m still going… About eighty-five frames done now, mostly new, but also some old ones re-waxed. I’m getting towards the end of my store of wired foundation now. I think I have fifteen sheets left of all those that … Continue reading →

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

Posted on May 16, 2024 by james

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 →

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Nasty bees

Posted on May 16, 2024 by james

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 →

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

Posted on May 14, 2024 by james

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 →

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Super-quick super frames

Posted on May 14, 2024 by james

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 →

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

Posted on May 13, 2024 by james

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 →

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A swarm is announced

Posted on May 13, 2024 by james

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 →

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Let’s have a little jig

Posted on May 13, 2024 by james

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 →

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