Tag Archives: John Chapple

A shook-swarm demo

Posted on April 20, 2017 by Emily Scott

On the Saturday before Easter a small but enthusiastic group of us gathered under the shade of the apiary’s trees to watch John Chapple carry out a shook-swarm demo on one of the hives. Unusually for John, he was actually … Continue reading →

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How warm is your bra and are you afraid of ants?

Posted on May 24, 2015 by Emily Scott

“How warm is your bra?” said John Chapple to Clare as she arrived at the Ealing apiary yesterday. This seemed like a slightly nosy question to ask a lady and I wondered if the torrential rain had left John concerned that … Continue reading →

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Book review – Bees in the city by Alison Benjamin and Brian McCallum (2011)

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Emily Scott

It’s been a while since I did a bee book-review. Partly this is down to lack of time and partly because I’ve been busy reading lots of other books, as I’ve been catching up with new ones by several of … Continue reading →

Posted in Urban beekeeping | Tagged , | 9 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 →

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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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A day out with John

Posted on April 22, 2012 by Emily Scott

“What are you doing tomorrow?” John Chapple had asked Emma and me, “Would you like to help me at Osterley?”. Well, when a beekeeping legend invites you down to some hives it would be madness to say no! Osterley is … Continue reading →

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The bees in March

Posted on March 4, 2012 by Emily Scott

After a chilly start, yesterday grew into a surprisingly warm and sunny day. The bees were going crazy. Today has been a definite umbrella day, wet and windy. That’s British weather for you. The pic below shows Rosemary’s bees zooming … Continue reading →

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A few links

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Emily Scott

Some articles/blog posts you might enjoy… I wouldn’t normally link to the Daily Mail, but local Ealing beekeepers John Chapple and Andy Pedley feature in a DM article celebrating their work as beekeepers to the Queen. I think John’s mischievous … Continue reading →

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The double brood box is on…

Posted on April 24, 2011 by Emily Scott

So this week I was supposed to make up ten frames and take them down to the apiary. What actually happened was that I realised I had everything to make up ten frames except the nails and couldn’t find quite … Continue reading →

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Dead bee inspecting, shook-swarming and bees in Oman

Posted on February 12, 2011 by Emily Scott

Last week it was cold and wet and no bees were to be seen. Today was surprisingly warm, and taking a look at the floods of bees zooming into hives around the apiary I decided to put my bee suit … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony management, Disease prevention | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments