Author Archives: Emily Scott

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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.

Tidying up my beekeeping bumbles

Posted on April 9, 2017 by Emily Scott

In my post a couple of weeks ago, ‘What the bees have been up to‘, I mentioned leaving Hope’s nucleus hive with some fondant and pollen in the eke, with the expectation that they would build a little comb up … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony management | 30 Comments

What the bees have been up to – and an unexpected award

Posted on March 30, 2017 by Emily Scott

At last my years spent blogging have paid off. After the previous lovely gift of a mug from Waltons for being named one of their ‘10 Brilliant Beekeepers‘ (well, a brilliant beekeepers’ blog anyway, not just generally brilliant!), another surprise email … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 33 Comments

Bees on ‘Back to the land with Kate Humble’

Posted on March 16, 2017 by Emily Scott

Bees are everywhere nowadays. In the past few weeks I’ve seen them buzz up on Mary Berry Everyday and now Kate Humble’s new show Back to the Land. I wasn’t even watching Back to the Land for the bees, I just found the … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 11 Comments

Middlesex Federation Day: Dr Martin Bencsik – “Monitoring honeybee colony activity with accelerometer sensors”

Posted on March 5, 2017 by Emily Scott

On Saturday I went to the Federation of Middlesex Beekeepers’ Associations annual ‘Federation Day‘. Each year the Middlesex associations (Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, North London, Pinner & Ruislip) take it in turn to host a day of beekeeping talks; this year it … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments

10 brilliant beekeepers – and where to buy a shed if you’re a beekeeper

Posted on February 22, 2017 by Emily Scott

A shout-out to the lovely people at Waltons, a British shed and gardening supply company. Until recently I hadn’t heard of Waltons, but then they contacted me to ask if I was happy to be included in a list of … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 15 Comments

Beekeeping amongst the snowdrops

Posted on February 15, 2017 by Emily Scott

There was a properly bitter chill in the air last weekend, but I knew there would be a few tough beekeepers down at the apiary. Alan was packing up nails neatly into boxes and quickly had the kettle on. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 10 Comments

‘Just Bee’ honey drinks on Dragons Den

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Emily Scott

It was good to see a bee-themed company on this week’s Dragon Den. I’ve been following the progress of Joe and Andy from Just Bee Drinks since I helped them out with some market research feedback a couple of years ago. Joe’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 8 Comments

Oxalic acid sublimation demo

Posted on January 22, 2017 by Emily Scott

It was a beautifully sunny but chilly day yesterday for a demonstration by Tom of oxalic acid sublimation. Amazingly some of our bees were still flying even at temperatures of under 10°C (50°F). The snowdrop shoots haven’t come on much … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease prevention | Tagged | 10 Comments

Of bee butts and wiggles

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Emily Scott

It’s fun to investigate what people search for to find my blog. I’ve noticed a wiggling, shaking and bum-raising theme: ‘Why do bees wiggle their bums’ & ‘Why do bees shake their bum’ & ‘Why do bee butts pulse’ & ‘Why … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 24 Comments

Endurance and hope

Posted on January 8, 2017 by Emily Scott

January is a stern month. The festivities of Christmas have passed and many of us are left feeling plumper and poorer. A time for austerity and cutting back, combined with chilling days that cut through to our fingers and whistle … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged | 32 Comments