Category Archives: Uncategorized

My latest beekeeping bungle – and how I fixed it

Posted on October 24, 2018 by

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 | 12 Comments

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

Posted on September 20, 2018 by

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

Posted on August 8, 2018 by

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 →

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Book review – The Beekeeper: Rescuing the stolen women of Iraq by Dunya Mikhail

Posted on July 25, 2018 by

The Beekeeper by Dunya Mikhail – available on Amazon (or your local independent bookshop) I discovered this book while browsing my local library’s catalogue for beekeeping books. Yet it is not a book about beekeeping at all. Instead Dunya Mikhail … Continue reading →

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Growing my bees

Posted on July 4, 2018 by

Not bigger bees, but more colonies! I have doubled the amount of hives I have – not too difficult when you only have one to start with. I’ve purchased a colony (the one on the right in the photo above) … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 27 Comments

How I came to have bees again

Posted on June 13, 2018 by

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

An apiary visit, bait hive set up, garden developments and bee rescuing adventures

Posted on May 10, 2018 by

Sunday was an absolutely glorious summer’s day in Cornwall, one of the first we’ve had this year. What do you do when it’s beautiful out and you’re a short distance from some of the finest beaches in the country? It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | 12 Comments