So I was really excited this weekend to be going up to check on the bees. The weather was good, the bees had been flying around like maniacs and I knew the blossom on the fruit trees was out with avengence. Perfect conditions for the bees to make me lots of honey.
I also decided that I would give my wife a little bit of time off from our two year old, Sebastian, who is always running around in a way that only two year olds can. Therefore I decided to show him the bees. What I didn’t account for, in my infinite wisdom, was the combination of a very active two year old and him being half way through his potty training period. What fun it turned out to be. Read the rest of this entry »
The weather was perfect and I felt it was time I went for a 2nd inspection of the year. The bees were pretty active and I was having a mild case of beekeepers panic at the thought of what was going on in the hive. I had already managed to put one super on the National Hive but I hadn’t yet put anything on the Omlet hive. Now was possible the time.
I got to the Omlet hive and had prepared a game plan (I find I have to do this nowadays in preparation for what I might find!). The glory of the Omlet is that you can essentially put on half a super first unlike National when a whole super has to go on. I would like to think it was because it was planned but it was simply because I had only prepared 6 super frames. The Omlet super technique was perfect. Read the rest of this entry »
I think I experienced what is called the Beekeeping panic today. It was the hottest day of the year so far in the UK and as a result I knew that my bees would be loving it (especially as all the fruit tree blossom would be coming out any second). The problem was that I had just put a super on one of the hives (thank god I had that ready to go) but the other was not ready in the slightest. To top it all off I hadn’t removed the hive entrance blocks.
Standing outside the hive this morning (which I only did as a fluke as I wasn’t even going out to the hives today) was like watching the busiest of motorways on the worst rush hour ever. To top it all off there would be a multi-car pile up right in the middle of it. I decided there and then that I had to do something. Read the rest of this entry »
First the important thing….are my bees still alive? Well I heard a pearl of wisdom the other day from a good beekeeping friend of mine. Without opening the hive you can tell quite easily by lying on the ground under the hive and simply blowing a few breaths through the open mesh floor (assuming you have one of these) he said. Therefore this is duly what I did and success, there was a nice roar from one of the hives but I haven’t had time to check the other yet (I suggest you do this on a nice cold day as otherwise you are pretty much a sitting or should I say lying duck if the bees want to investigate who is breathing on them!)
Going to be feeding them soon. Fondant on order….
Otherwise the garden and allotment are starting to wake up a little bit which is lovely to see. Just seeing tiny bits of green poking up through the soil is enough for me to really start enjoying the year. The weather has been quite unsettled and windy but apart from that relatively pleasent down here. Should you want any more information about the photos please just press the “i” in the middle of the photo and that should tell you all you need to know. Happy February.
I have been very fortunate to meet Lisa Cox a very experienced Garden Designerover here in the UK and I recently asked for her knowledge on the complex subject of bee friendly plants
So, we are having a real cold snap at the moment and i am left wondering, do they bees feel the cold?
It is especially apparent as i have just been lucky enough to bring a new addition to the world, Edward, who was born earlier this week, but this has meant that i am paying attention to temperatures a little more than normal. Read the rest of this entry »
So the winter is upon us and the gardening and beekeeping world is shutting down. Its funny, I have a mixture of slight melancholy about it. Part of me is sad that it all now slows down, the garden doesn’t look as nice as it did several weeks ago, the bees are less active and are all tucked up trying to keep Queenie warm (at a constant 35 degrees) and yet there is also the other side of me that is a little bit happy about it all. It is the tidy up time (I know, I know, the fashion at the moment is to leave the garden relatively undisturbed to allow wildlife to thrive but I really struggle with this) and the beds start to look nice again without all the rather sad looking dead plants which were once proud to fill the beds. Read the rest of this entry »
Okay, so they can cost anywhere from £40 for a days course or over a £100 for a 10 week course, but are beekeeping courses worth it?
As many of you who follow this blog know, I initially thought that beekeepers were a certain breed of people and I was a little unsure about joining the party. I felt I would suddenly put on a few inches around the waist, be forced to grow a beard, drink ale (or occasionly cider) and have to start morris dancing as another hobby. I was pleasently surprised by the course I attended in that none of the above was mandatory and so I attended with vigor. What did I learn? Read the rest of this entry »
I am not sure if anyone saw the “Bee Pollon Mousse” on Masterchef the other day but I was transfixed. I am constantly amazed by the different things you can do with the products from Bees………but Bee Pollon Mousse!!
The judges were split and it certainly looked interesting (by that I mean that I probably would have looked at it in a similar way to the Food critics who eyed it strangely!) but it certainly was ingenious and so I thought I would find the recipe and share it with you.
Bee Pollon Mousse Recipe - okay it isn’t the one from Masterchef but it is pretty similar and from the Great British Menu so pretty close!
the bees had been flying around like maniacs and I knew the blossom on the fruit trees was out with avengence. Perfect conditions for the bees to make me lots of honey.
