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Originally posted on the BBKA forum on the 31-3-09 The beginners course is almost finished, just one more classroom session and a session in the teaching apiary, I expected to know a fair bit of what has been covered as I've done the course before but there's plenty that I didn't know or had forgotten. It's quite a lot of travelling to get to the course but its worth the effort. last week my mentor (john) called to tell me that he was intending on opening his hives on Saturday weather permitting and invited me over to have a look, saturday came and it was a lovely sunny day with a biting cold wind so the inspections were cancelled , Never mind sunday turned out to be a lovely sunny day with no wind. A phonecall later and I'm heading...

this was originally posted on the BBKA forum on the 14-1-09. I'm transfering my blog to here and I'll decide later if I'll keep the BBKA one updated right then, first off I am not a journo so dont go expecting anything grand here, just a load of rambling thoughts and troubles (probably) my position wrt beeking right now is one empty hive in my workshop, courtesy of santa. I did a beginners course 2 years ago with somerset BKA and since have been doing regular stints of 3 months away from home, now I've changed job my home life is a lot more stable. I've planned in another beginners course starting later this month and I've also spoken to a gent who is willing to be a montor and has invited me to go to his apiary when he goes to open...

Nice hot sunny day and I just had a look at my 2 hives for the 1st time this year. Left hive has no Queen and not many bees. So will join the rest of the bees with the right hive tomorrow. My right hive witch has an old Queen in. (2007) This hive is doing great. Load of bees and 12 frames of brood. Super still half full.

This blog hopefully will serve as a record of my bee keeping exploits this year. I started Bee keeping last year 2008 by joining my local association and signing up for their free bees scheme. I got my nuc towards the end of June so only had a short time to bring them up to strength for the winter. That colony lives at our branch aipary and appears to have wintered well. During the winter i obtained permission to put 2 or 3 hives onto a local farm and will be purchasing 2 nucs to start off on this site. Thats enough of an introduction for now hope to have more to document soon. David

Test

Today I finished work early and got down to the field at 12ish - well really I had to pick eldest son up as youngest had an accident with his vehicle, which means we are juggling 2 cars amongst 3 people, I nipped into the field to have a quick look around and wandered down to the bees, it was a lovely sunny day and the hives face west - so in full sun, bees were flying from 2, there was a commotion as bees dragged something out - it looked yellowish, could it have been a wasp? They tipped it over the edge of the hive stand, I walked round the back and peered round the side of the hive to see if I could make out what it was but I got buzzed so I nonchalantly walked away. The river was up again at the weekend and roaring on Monday...

My 2 Hives 2008 Sun 10th Feb. Being a nice sunny warm day I just had a look at my 2 hives. My right hive witch has an old Queen in. I think this hive is going to DIE . Not many bees and a very small about of brood. I was planning to join this hive to my left hive with the new Queen. This hive is doing great. Load of bees and 7 frames of brood. Even saw a few bees chewing there way out of the cell. Wed 26th Mar. Right Hive. Just had another look and it's still alive...Just... A very small amount of brood on 1 frame and the outside frames are starting to go mouldy. I saw the queen, But going to join this hive up with the other hive later. Left Hive. now has 13 frames of brood. Even saw some eggs in the super. Bees were...

Well since there's not much to talk about bee wise I though I'd talk about something else, but not much is happening at the field either. . . It's very very muddy, the pony lives on a mud patch with a fresh strip of grass every morning and night, even though he is restricted he could poo for Britain and it's murder picking it up from the mud mud glorious mud. One or two of my this years birds have started to lay, and some of the older ones too so I am still getting a few eggs a day which is nice. I went to Thornes on Friday as I was working that way and bought 2 packets of Nektapol. I was going to make some using Finman's recipe but I don't have any honey or pollen so thought this was the next best option. Today I was working at...

Course nothing much is happening with the bees . . I made some polystyrene and plywood dummy boards and put them in on a recent mild day, I removed any empty foundation and put them up to that. I have been reading my R.O.B. Manley book "Bee Keeping in Britain" he suggests that it isn't cold in this country that is the problem in winter, but damp, so it is more important to have ventilation than insulation. I have tried to compromise. I've also started making another hive stand as I stupidly made one too small so the hive teeters on the edge (tut) The floods have gone down, but the field is still very muddy and wet. I've confined some of my meat birds to barracks as they were running around too much and not putting on enough weight...

Several injuries trying to assemble flat pack hives and supers... hammering thumbs and dropping hive down my shins. A bit easier this time as husband has cut me a piece of wood the same dimensions as the inside of the hive to go inside, so not such a fight this time to get them square. Trying not to upset people by hammering past bedtime, so still will have a lot to do at the weekend. Will go out and buy lots of Cuprinol in a lightish??? colour, to paint them...should I be more worried about them getting too hot or too cold? Plan to get to DIY store for weapons to protect the shed from woodworm too Children rebuke me wetting themselves laughing at my avatar saying I look like an old paedophile! (Biker with beard). Changed it.

Ha - got a new blog to write Well the field flooded last weekend. I was ready for it this time and didn't lose any stuff. I tend to lose stuff like water troughs which tend to live in the middle so all can drink. Since I lost all my good ones in the floods last year I now use the sawn off tops of those 40 gall blue barrels. The field is a muddy mess and tonight it is raining again, the river was raging when I went at 4pm to shut everyone up so I will be wading again in the morning. One of the turkeys flew out onto the road this morning, I wasn't there but a friend got it back in:o. It's the downside of keeping birds that can fly. I've twice had them fly over the river:( The first time I got my son to come across the gravel pits to the...