Its funny isn’t it. You start feeling a little confident over the winter time. You sit there each day putting some of your own honey on toast in the morning with a nice mug of coffee and you come to the conclusion that it is all alright and that beekeeping is relatively straightforward. It was my first year last year and so I was feeling pretty confident going into this year safe in the knowledge that I had one year under my belt and a wealth of experience……then the season starts again and you realise you will forever be learning.
In the three weeks I have seriously been putting my beekeeper veil back on this year I have come to the conclusion that I will never know all there is to know and that the learning curve will keep on growing! You realise just how much there is to learn about this fascinating topic. Read the rest of this entry »
So, suddenly it has got a little bit more serious. Yesterdays inspection had two elements to it which were both equally important. Firstly the hopes of some capped honey and secondly the review of European Foul Brood. Its funny isn’t it. When I first started to write the account of my beekeeping year I really was approaching it as a jovial and often humerous story but I genuinely feel as if my attitude, respect and affection for the bees has grown immensely and I now see how serious it all is. These last two days have only emphasised that to me. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Surreybeekeeper | Posted in Beehives, Beekeeping, Bees, Inspections | Posted on 27-07-2010
I used to be a big fan of The Krypton Factor when I was younger. I used to love sitting down on a 
Monday evening to tune into Gordon Burns testing people over assault courses and other tests which included mental agility tests. I used to think that was evil until I worked for the Ministry of Defence and was in charge of testing military recruits on their physical performance. I once had to put these poor, spotty and smelly teenage “squaddies” into an ice bath and then literally had to hold them down in the bath and get them to complete manual dexterity tests and answering simple questions. Though cruel it was fascinating.
I used to think these were the hardest tests you could ask someone to complete until I started beekeeping. I have found that tasks I have to complete currently are far harder than any Drill Instructor would have set or that Gordon Burns would have charmed me into doing. Read the rest of this entry »
It is 6.30am and I have got up to replace that old cut comb that had become ruined in the frames two weeks previously. I have to say it was easier than I thought and hence I am writing this piece now while the house is silent (bliss I have to say!). Replacing that cut comb made me realise just how sticky the job of extraction must be. People and books have said that honey gets everywhere. Me being me was thinking “no way, I am organised and generally tidy, I can do that without spilling a drop”. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Surreybeekeeper | Posted in Beehives, Beekeeping, Bees, beesting | Posted on 14-07-2010
It all started as a normal Wednesday evening Beekeeping session with the Reigate Beekeepers but it soon turned into an all out war with the bees. They were all over the place tonight and I learnt some very good lessons! Beware of a windy night and definitely when you are checking a colony without a queen Read the rest of this entry »
I feel like I have changed. In just three days I realised how obsessive beekeeping can become. 
Firstly, on Saturday I took my parents up to the hives to show them what I had been working on for the last 6 months. I have to say, I think they were impressed but I couldn’t really tell as I was basically talking at them for about half an hour.
I then proceeded to sit them down behind the hives and get them to watch the bees flying in and out of the hive; for about 10 minutes. Needless to say they enjoyed the first 10 seconds but I am not sure longer than that was needed. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by Surreybeekeeper | Posted in beesting, Inspections | Posted on 03-07-2010
Today was a strange day. I woke up feeling quite excited following on from last weeks successful inspections. Spotting the two queens gave me real confidence and then there was my growing feeling of calm as I inspected the hives, something I hadn’t felt in previous inspections. Today however was slightly different, I got just over half way through the first inspection and then felt that I couldn’t complete the inspection. Read the rest of this entry »
Its funny isn’t it. You start feeling a little confident over the winter time. You sit there each day putting some of your own honey on toast in the morning with a nice mug of coffee and you come to the conclusion that it is all alright and that beekeeping is relatively straightforward. It was my first year last year and so I was feeling pretty confident going into this year safe in the knowledge that I had one year under my belt and a wealth of experience……then the season starts again and you realise you will forever be learning.
