Category Archives: Uncategorized

Tea, cake, sunshine and two new queens

Posted on July 21, 2012 by Emily Scott

The last time I wrote about our hives at the beginning of July, Queens Neroli and Ginger had mysteriously disappeared and we were left looking at two emergency queen cells. Three weeks later, would our new queens have mated? The … Continue reading →

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Book review – From A to Bee: My First Year as a Beginner Beekeeper, by James Dearsley

Posted on July 8, 2012 by Emily Scott

James Dearsley began beekeeping in 2009. Since then he has started the world’s most popular Facebook page for beekeeping (the Beginner Beekeepers page), released a ‘Beekeeping for Beginners’ video with Charlie Dimmock (famous here for her presenting slot on the … Continue reading →

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The case of the disappearing queens

Posted on July 1, 2012 by Emily Scott

We just can’t seem to hold on to our queens this year. No sooner has one emerged than weeks of rain follow preventing her mating, or we inherit a new queen but she turns out to be poorly mated, or … Continue reading →

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Food from the Sky

Posted on June 24, 2012 by Emily Scott

This week I went on a work related trip to the innovative ‘Food from the Sky‘ project in Crouch End, north London. The project grows fruit and veg on the rooftop of Thornton’s Budgens supermarket; the food they grow then … Continue reading →

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The lost British summer

Posted on June 17, 2012 by Emily Scott

A lot of British beekeepers must be feeling pretty fed up right now. After a few days of glorious sunshine, the rain and winds returned. My aunt’s house in Aberystwyth (Wales) was flooded after days of endless rain, so she was … Continue reading →

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Honeybee Management exam feedback

Posted on June 11, 2012 by Emily Scott

I applied to receive exam feedback from the British Beekeepers Association on my Module 1 ‘Honeybee Management‘ exam. Even though I passed I like to do this because it’s a chance to get comments from super-insightful expert beekeepers. This year … Continue reading →

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Two hives become one… and then two again!

Posted on June 10, 2012 by Emily Scott

In my last post on Queen Neroli, our new Jubilee Queen, we had just combined our two hives, because one of the hives was weak and queenless. Yesterday we checked up on how the combining process had gone. Would our … Continue reading →

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Book review – ‘Travels in Blood and Honey: Becoming a beekeeper in Kosovo’ by Elizabeth Gowing

Posted on June 5, 2012 by Emily Scott

Recently I visited Albania, which is one of the Balkan countries. As Elizabeth Gowing explains in her book ‘Travels in Blood and Honey: Becoming a beekeeper in Kosovo‘, in Turkish, bal means ‘honey’ and kan means ‘blood’.  “The story, almost … Continue reading →

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Long live Queen Neroli, our Jubilee Queen

Posted on June 3, 2012 by Emily Scott

I went to Albania and a lot happened while I was away! Our naughty queen Lavender decided to swarm when our backs were turned. And Emma had to put Queen Myrrh to rest and give her hive a new queen … Continue reading →

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National Bee Unit Varroa Workshop – Part 4 – The enchanted garden

Posted on May 18, 2012 by Emily Scott

After our day of workshops on the evil little varroa mite, Emma and I were itching for a chance to catch the last rays of sunshine in the Roots & Shoots garden, a horticultural training centre for young disadvantaged students. We … Continue reading →

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