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.

The coming of the snowdrops

Posted on February 21, 2015 by Emily Scott

Each year I wait for this and it always fills me with optimism. The apiary snowdrops are now in full spectacular bloom, all white and green against the winter. Quite a few people were saying how much bigger they look … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 20 Comments

An evening spent peering at sexual material

Posted on February 16, 2015 by Emily Scott

Plant sexual material, that is of course. Sorry to disappoint any of my readers hoping to hear about the sexual parts of bees or indeed any other species. Last Thursday I was busy on the first evening session of a … Continue reading →

Posted in Events | Tagged | 18 Comments

Beekeeping through the camera lens – a talk by Simon Croson

Posted on February 1, 2015 by Emily Scott

On Wednesday night I went to a talk by Simon Croson at the London Beekeepers’ Association in south London. Simon had travelled all the way down from Lincolnshire to share his expertise in taking photos of bees with us. He has … Continue reading →

Posted in Events | 33 Comments

Mind your beeswax

Posted on January 25, 2015 by Emily Scott

On Friday a fierce cold came over me while I worked. My eyes weeped and my nose sneezed. As the day progressed, I felt so miserable that I skipped the Burns night dinner I had booked that evening – losing … Continue reading →

Posted in Events | Tagged | 23 Comments

Happy news and a honey tasting

Posted on January 15, 2015 by Emily Scott

Yesterday I came home to find a letter waiting. It had a nice surprise – I passed Module 2, which means I now have the BBKA’s Intermediate Theory Certificate. Please forgive me for posting about this, but I have so little … Continue reading →

Posted in Exams, Honey | Tagged | 40 Comments

Thoughts on beekeeping and mental health

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Emily Scott

“You are all mad!”, one of our apiary visitors declared, shaking his head in wonder. He had just listened to John and Andy talking about how to painstakingly prepare honey entries for the National Honey Show, including the best ways to … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 37 Comments

Looking back on 2014, a fantastic year of beekeeping

Posted on December 23, 2014 by Emily Scott

I first started beekeeping in the summer of 2008, having taken the Ealing Association’s excellent annual beekeeping course for beginners in spring 2008. Since then, beekeeping has taken me on a journey I could never have anticipated – to exams, … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 14 Comments

On the cusp of the solstice

Posted on December 20, 2014 by Emily Scott

Tomorrow – the 21st December – is a special day for me. It comes every year and always promises a new start, a return to life. It’s the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. A longer day must … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 22 Comments

Burdens of bees

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Emily Scott

Last week, as I walked home in the dark evening with heavy food shopping bags cutting into my hands, I started thinking about the hefty burdens worker bees carry. It looks idyllic when bees fly past with leg baskets laden with bright … Continue reading →

Posted in Foraging | 34 Comments

Drawing the curtains for winter

Posted on November 16, 2014 by Emily Scott

Last weekend I took my Module 2 exam, Honey bee products and forage. I think it went well! Until the last five minutes, anyway. I had been wondering how I’d managed to finish on time and why I wasn’t frantically … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee biology, Exams | Tagged | 13 Comments