What is it? According to NonNative Species.org: An invasive non-native hornet originally from Asia. The Asian hornet is a highly aggressive predator of native insects and poses a significant threat to honey bees and other pollinators. In 2004 it was accidentally introduced to France where it has spread rapidly and into neighbouring countries. Since 2016… Continue reading Yellow Legged Hornet or Asian Hornet
Author: Dronebee
Opened beehive
It’s been a week since we last disturbed the bees. Although, we lit the smoker we did not smoke the bees, because we were going to use a fine spray mist of water. However, we kept the smoker close at hand. We opened the hive at 19.00 the bees were calm. The syrup was almost… Continue reading Opened beehive
Ouch, that was painful!
The bees have been busy doing what bees do. We have been getting anxious about the colony after their trip. However, we have curbed our worry until they have had 4 days. Then we will open the hive to examine the frames in the brood box. Finally. we have opened the hive up. Bees are… Continue reading Ouch, that was painful!
Bees are here
Finally, we brought our bee home last night and put them on their stand at about 10 o’clock. Next, we need to add the rapid feeder with syrup to encourage the bees to draw out the remaining brood frames. This we did early the next morning adding the feeder to the crown board and then… Continue reading Bees are here
What sort of Hive?
The most common type of hive in the UK is the National, in wood or polystyrene. There are other types of hives but we will use a National with two supers. The most important thing to remember is the frames are not all interchangeable between the various types of hives or between commercial and standard National hives.… Continue reading What sort of Hive?
Getting our bees
We are collecting our bees this Saturday evening. We have a nuc with a 2019 queen and a strong brood, so with an improvement to the weather and some feeding they should be able to build their food storage for the winter. This is the reality check. Great doing it at the training apiary with… Continue reading Getting our bees
On Reflection
We would recommend you buy nothing until you have attended theory and practical sessions on beekeeping run by your local beekeeping association. As a Christmas present, I brought my wife a flat pack National hive in pine. This was well packed and kept in the house lying flat. On assembling in early April it was… Continue reading On Reflection
Last Beekeeping class.
The one factor we believe will increase your ability to keep healthy bees is to join a beekeeping association and go to classes. The theory classes, usually held in the winter, when there is little bee activity, cover a variety of topics including hive types, hive location in the apiary, hive tools, and disease. The… Continue reading Last Beekeeping class.
Getting Started
I have always been interested in bees. A chance discussion with my wife and I found out so is she. We went on an afternoon intro session held by our local bee keeping group. The rest as they say is history and I will be writing about our journey on this blog. Sit back enjoy… Continue reading Getting Started