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.

My latest beekeeping bungle – and how I fixed it

Posted on October 24, 2018

This autumn I made the classic error of giving bees too much space. I put an eke on top of the brood box to do Apiguard treatment. Then I went on holiday. The first opportunity I got to inspect the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments

Notes from Cornwall ‘Bit of a do’ Beekeeping conference 2018 – Chris Park, Skep beekeeping (3.)

Posted on October 15, 2018

The final talk I’m going to write up from the joint Cornwall Beekeepers Association and West Cornwall Beekeepers Association ‘Bit of a do‘ day is Chris Park’s talk on skep beekeeping. Chris keeps bees on organic farmland around the Oxfordshire / … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Hive types | 10 Comments

Notes from Cornwall Beekeeping conference 2018 – Honey bee dances: new insights (2.)

Posted on September 27, 2018

Our first talk of last week’s conference was given by bee farmer Dan Basterfield and was all about honey bee dances and ‘The dance language controversy’. About Dan: Dan grew up with beekeeping around him and now helps to run … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee behaviour, Events | Tagged | 12 Comments

Notes from Cornwall Beekeeping conference talks – Bit of a Do 2018 (1.)

Posted on September 23, 2018

The two local Cornish associations (the Cornwall Beekeepers Association and West Cornwall Beekeepers Association) put on a great ‘Bit of a do‘ day of talks and trade stands. I’m going to write up Dan Basterfield’s talks on ‘Honey bee dance … Continue reading →

Posted in Events | Tagged | 8 Comments

Book review: A honeybee heart has five openings by Helen Jukes

Posted on September 20, 2018

I first found out about this beekeeping memoir after reading a review of it on the Oxfordshire Natural Beekeeping Group blog – Helen Jukes was a member of the group while she lived in Oxford. A Honeybee Heart has Five … Continue reading →

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‘The Cornish Bee’ – notes from a talk by Rodger Dewhurst, Gwenen Apiaries

Posted on August 16, 2018

Last Sunday I went to a ‘Bee Fayre’, which is an annual weekend event held at Enys Gardens in Penryn, Cornwall. It was a haven for bee fans, filled with stalls selling every bee themed product you can think of, … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease prevention, Queens | Tagged | 6 Comments

Winter is coming – getting the bees ready for hail, frost and snow

Posted on August 8, 2018

You might think I’m crazy talking about winter. We’ve just had some of our hottest days of the year, when parts of England reached over 35°C. Yet the summer solstice was a summer bee’s lifetime ago. The bees are always … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 10 Comments