Category Archives: Smallholding

Home-built Honey-warming Cabinet

Posted on January 10, 2012 by james

I have about 90kg of oilseed rape honey that has solidified and obviously before I can turn it into soft-set honey I need to melt it again. Warming cabinets are far from cheap to buy and it’s not exactly hard … Continue reading →

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Varroa Treatment with Oxalic Acid

Posted on January 10, 2012 by james

On Sunday I treated my bees with oxalic acid as part of my varroa mite management. The general idea is to pick a time close to Christmas or New Year when there is hopefully no brood in the hive and … Continue reading →

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A home-made Ashforth-style feeder

Posted on January 10, 2012 by james

I need around twenty feeders for my beehives this year. I’ve messed about with trays full of syrup on top of the crown board up until now, but I really need something a bit better. A few people recommended the … Continue reading →

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A home-made steam wax extractor

Posted on January 10, 2012 by james

In those years where we have a proper summer (not since about 2006 now), I put “waste” beeswax and old combs into my solar extractor to melt down the wax. In 2011 we didn’t really get that much decent wax-melting … Continue reading →

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Polytunnel Chiles

Posted on January 10, 2012 by james

Most years I try to grow a few different varieties of chile in the polytunnel. Jalapenos are always on the list so we can pickle them for use on pizzas, in fajitas and tacos and suchlike. 2011 hasn’t exactly been … Continue reading →

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Harlequin ladybirds by the thousand

Posted on January 10, 2012 by james

The Harlequin ladybird appears to be moving into the south west of the UK in huge numbers now, having been fairly rare only five years ago. As the summer ends the adult ladybirds find somewhere to overwinter and apparently produce … Continue reading →

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New Life…

Posted on September 19, 2011 by james

Our chickens are kept in large fenced runs (to keep out the foxes) in the orchard with the trees providing some shade from the fierce heat of the British Summer. The birds are rotated around the pens giving them fresh … Continue reading →

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Clearer Boards

Posted on September 14, 2011 by james

Back in the Spring when I wanted to take the OSR honey off some hives I had a real problem getting the bees to vacate the supers. Up until now I’ve always used a crown board fitted with Porter bee … Continue reading →

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Honey Harvest 2011

Posted on September 12, 2011 by james

This year I took on four hives belonging to a local farmer in addition to the hives in my home apiary. There have been beehives on his farm as long as anyone can remember and he was keen to keep … Continue reading →

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Spawny Frogs

Posted on March 4, 2011 by james

Once upon a many years ago, a cart track ran from a nearby road and turned at our yard to run down to the local corn mill. The track has long since fallen out of use, but a dip in … Continue reading →

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