Apichat

17th March, weather still cold, 5C and overcast, feels sub-zero! Snow drops and crocus mostly past now but willows, hazel, ivy and early flowering trees and shrubs providing pollen. Soon as the sun comes out foragers bringing in plenty pollen. Queens are getting busy, and the season has started ...

3rd March, 9C and overcast. The high winds took their toll again, three hives over this time but thankfully the hive boxes were not scattered and bees remained snug in the brood boxes. Surprisingly they were still bringing in small amounts of pollen, two colours, one definitely ivy. All the colonies ...

25th Jan, a cold 2C and breezy after the previous nights storm with howling gales and morning thundersnow. Quick round of apiaries once the thundersnow had stopped. Lower apiary colonies were in tact, but one colony at the upper apiary had been blown over. With sheer luck, the hive had gone over ...

Bees need your help please. This is important for the future of beekeeping in the UK.

An increasing number of beekeepers are becoming concerned about the threats posed by imports to both free-living and managed populations of honey bees, the main concerns being:

Biosecurity: Small Hive Beetle ...

24th December, 12C. The very unseasonable temperature had the bees out flying in significant numbers and if it were not for the dead grass and leaflets trees, it could have been any other day but a mid winter one! No surprise that stores in the brood boxes and supers below were now used up and the ...

Monday 21st Oct, 12C. A bit of sunshine and out they come! Colonies recently back from the heather all out bringing in yellow and orange pollen. A good sign there is brood being produced, boosting numbers of winter bees with any luck!

https://www.piperdewar.co.uk/images/oct_bees_and_pollen.jpg ...

17th October, sunny 15C to start, then rain. Just enough time to check on the colonies brought down from the heather. Bringing the colonies off the hillside was eventful. The ground conditions were too soggy at the first attempt. Our 2WD just slithered about, but following some drier weather we ...

23rd September, 12 degrees, overcast and cold. Garden bees are soldiering on and have produced just short of a super of honey. Pretty poor, but they'll need that for the winter.

Out apiaries haven't produced anything and are being fed syrup. The hill bees have produced a little honey but the ...

Thursday 5th September, a cold and dreich day, with temperatures down to 12C and no bees out flying. not the best for checking bees but today, needs must! With the weather is still very changeable and overall temperatures dipping towards autumnal levels, and winter prep just over the horizon, it was ...

Spoke too soon!

30th July, sky full of sunshine, 25C, enjoying an afternoon on the lawn until that familiar buzz of a swarm filled the ears. A sizeable swarm from who knows where decided fly into the garden necessitating a quick retreat for my sunbathing better half!

Thinking the season had moved ...