Author Archives: Emily Scott

About Emily Scott

I am a UK beekeeper who has recently moved from London to windswept, wet Cornwall. I first started keeping bees in the Ealing Beekeepers Association’s local apiary in 2008, when I created this blog as a record for myself of my various beekeeping related disasters and - hopefully! - future successes.

The arrival of the bees

Posted on August 1, 2022 by Emily Scott

A couple of months ago, I put a bait hive out in my garden. An empty National brood box, apart from a dark old brood comb pushed to one side and some lemongrass oil smeared on the walls. Then I … Continue reading →

Posted in Swarms | Tagged | 19 Comments

What’s flowering now – Cornwall, April 2022

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Emily Scott

Some photos of the flowers I’ve seen out and about in Cornwall and in my garden over the last couple of weeks. I like to see what’s in flower and available for the bees. Below is my miniature apple tree. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 8 Comments

Bees in January

Posted on January 20, 2022 by Emily Scott

And so we’re in 2022… another year for us… but the first and only winter for my bees. Huddled in their nest, resting their wings, winter bees tend to live longer than summer bees. But still their life-span is measured … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 17 Comments

Bees – off!

Posted on November 12, 2021 by Emily Scott

Some of my longer-term readers may remember that I had bees in my chimney stack. This had turned into a tricky problem, with quotes of £4,000+ to remove them and reseal the chimney. It wasn’t even my fault (honestly!!) as … Continue reading →

Posted in Urban beekeeping | 11 Comments

An unexpected arrival

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Emily Scott

I’d left some equipment behind in the old location I used to keep bees, and hadn’t got around to moving it yet. Some new visitors took advantage of this des res – a brood box with a few frames in, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 13 Comments

Moving bees

Posted on June 20, 2021 by Emily Scott

A few weeks ago I moved my two little colonies in nuc boxes to a new location nearer to home. I’d never had to move bees before, so asked other beekeepers for tips beforehand and as luck would have it … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 9 Comments

How to catch a swarm – advice from an expert beekeeper, Roger Patterson

Posted on June 2, 2021 by Emily Scott

A few weeks ago I listened into a zoom talk all about swarms by Roger Patterson. I last heard Roger speak in person almost a decade ago, back in 2012, when his talk was “Improve your bees and beekeeping – … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Swarms, Uncategorized | Tagged | 13 Comments

Second inspection of the year

Posted on April 13, 2021 by Emily Scott

It’s been a cold week, but today seemed to mark a turning point in the weather here. I took my coat and gloves back off; my gloves had been put away for the summer two weeks ago, only to be … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

First inspections of the spring

Posted on April 4, 2021 by Emily Scott

In sunny Cornwall I’ve just done my first inspections for 2021 inside the hives. It’s been warm enough for some people to walk about in just t-shirts and for me to wear a t-shirt and cardigan, so it was time. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Swarm collecting tips from Tamsin Harris

Posted on March 23, 2021 by Emily Scott

This week I listened into a great talk for the West Cornwall Beekeepers Association by their member Tamsin Harris, she is a very experienced commercial beekeeper. She came across as a practical person with a quick, dry sense of humour. … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Swarms | 13 Comments