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So the time has come for feeding my bees in Spring (or thereabouts anyway!) and so I had looked at the research. Appartently feeding bees with sugar syrup is a bad idea this early in the year because the syrup can freeze. Therefore Bakers Fondant was the recommended feed for bees. One slight problem however was not having the slightest clue what bakers fondant actually was.

As it turns out it is basically icing that goes on the top of cakes (as you can see from the pictures) but is appartently the best for feeding bees in Spring. So I did a little bit of research (as well as visiting various supermarkets and asking around with the response of several blank faces……fondant for bees? You’ve got to be kidding…..) and found that a great place for fondant (in the UK) was Bako which is essentially a wholesaler of baking products. Read the rest of this entry »

So tomorrow is my 2nd inspection check and I have a few concerns. Firstly I have a concern because tomorrow I will be doing it well and truly on my own and no Richard this time to talk to and calm my nerves. I supose I will take my camera with me to talk to instead and hopefully that might help.

I then have a complete group of concerns that I am also worried about – as a person, I never worry but for some reason I always worry about the garden and my bees; what is the reason for that, usually I am so laid back I might as well be horizontal! Anyway, my group of concerns cover the feeding of the bees and also the floor that they were put on by my great bee friend, Adam. Read the rest of this entry »

I am a man of integrity and honesty and therefore I have to admit I am writing this piece with a glass of rose (yes, I know, not very beekeeping) to my right and a left over piece of cold pizza (with a bite taken out from a cheeky breakfast bite this morning) to my left. These are the leftovers from last nights World Cup match between England and the US, a rather disappointing result I have to say. Therefore I thought I would write this watching Australia beat Germany; sadly this is not the case with Australia 4-0 down and with only 10 men!

Anyway, what a momentous day. I have dreamt about this day for a while now and especially since I received the bees two weeks ago. You are meant to leave the bees for a bit to start building the colony and just to keep feeding them to give them a helping hand. After all, they have to build a new home and get the queen laying new eggs so she can keep the colony moving forward. Therefore I have done what I am told – there is a first for everything – and today was the day that I was going to have a look inside. Read the rest of this entry »

So I started my beekeeping career stating that I am someone who learns from my own mistakes. These last two days have lived up to this statement. I don’t know how but I have seriously messed up again and yet again with the feed. I am feeling very guilty and slightly annoyed at myself Read the rest of this entry »

So, the bees are now safely housed in their new location. I popped up yesterday morning to check they were okay and all seemed good. They were a few just showing their heads outside the hive wondering where they were.

I noticed that some of them actually plucked up the courage to take a little flight but it seemed that they would fly about a metre away and would then get a little bit nervous and fly right back again. I put it as the human equivalent of watching your little ones learning how to walk. They stand up, hold on to the sofa or an equivalent, take a few tentative steps holding on, let go for a step and then immediately grab for the sofa once more. Read the rest of this entry »

Well today has been an interesting day…….

I had a lovely day with the family today with Sebastian meeting up with all his mates and having a whale of a time just larking about. Amazing the transition in just 20 months and now seeing the little characters coming out and long term friendships settling in. Even more amazing was the moment that Sebastian walked up to Jo, bottom lip out and quivering. “Bee” was the word being uttered as his little eyes started to well up a little. Immediately we started to see what the matter was by stripping him off and checking he was okay (just thinking that he was trying to learn the alphabet really). As we took off his sleeve, sure enough a little bumble bee just flew out, completely unharmed. Sebastian very quickly started smiling again and shouting “bee” at the top of his voice. After a little check no stings were discovered and we all concluded that the bee was playing hide and seek for a little while up Sebastian’s arm. Read the rest of this entry »

I am sat here on a nice comfy sofa with my legs stretched out in front of me. I am looking at a lovely open fire that is radiating warmth and I feel that slightly numb affect of a couple of glasses of wine. Music is playing in the background and the cat is asleep on the piano stool. A Saturday evening couldn’t really get much more relaxing. Read the rest of this entry »