Category Archives: Swarms

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

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

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

Swarming from the bees’ perspective

Posted on October 15, 2019 by Emily Scott

My notes from our second talk by Scottish bee farmer Tony Harris at Cornwall Beekeepers Association/West Cornwall Beekeepers Association ‘Bit of a Do’ conference this September. I’ve read books on swarm behaviour and studied it for the BBKA’s module exams, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Events, Swarms | Tagged | 15 Comments

Maximising your honey crop – tips from Tony Harris

Posted on September 23, 2019 by Emily Scott

At the weekend I heard Tony Harris, a Scottish bee farmer, give two talks at the annual Cornwall Beekeepers Association/West Cornwall Beekeepers Association ‘Bit of a Do’ conference. Here are my notes from his talk, which had plenty of jokes … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony management, Events, Honey, Swarms | 19 Comments

Surrounded by bees: a tale of four swarms

Posted on May 14, 2019 by Emily Scott

What happens when a beekeeper gets behind on their inspections in May? SWARMS. This was the first: It was rather high up… The hives underneath are my comical attempt to tempt the bees down. I smeared lemongrass oil inside the empty … Continue reading →

Posted in Swarms | 15 Comments

How I came to have bees again

Posted on June 13, 2018 by Emily Scott

This weekend I was still beeless, as there has been an outbreak of American Foul Brood (AFB) in my supplier’s area and movement of bees and hives has been suspended. “Let me know if any swarms come your way”, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Swarms, Uncategorized | Tagged | 42 Comments

Getting my bee-jo back

Posted on May 3, 2015 by Emily Scott

I didn’t post about the bees last weekend because I felt especially down about my beekeeping skills after an intense catalogue of failures on Saturday. First, I failed to find Queen Stella in my allotment bees, which would have been particularly useful … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony management, Swarms | Tagged | 32 Comments

A wedding present from the bees

Posted on June 1, 2014 by Emily Scott

I see the last time I posted was April 21st. Since then I have become a married lady named Emily Scott and met the wildlife of Borneo. And in Beeland… the bees have been equally busy. The day of my … Continue reading →

Posted in Swarms | 42 Comments

Our queens come in eights

Posted on May 25, 2013 by Emily Scott

Last week Emma and I split our hive into two. Today we returned to check the progress of the two colonies – luckily the rain storms of Friday had subsided and beautiful sun ruled the skies. At the time we … Continue reading →

Posted in Queens, Swarms | Tagged | 46 Comments