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We are now at the stage where we can supply local bees to anyone wanting to start up here. We did struggle a few years back when there was an explosion in interest here. Also it looks like a record number of nucs will be overwintered for next year. Definitely no queen imports. So far when we’ve...

Thanks Little bees This should be for a different thread, but varroa has been in Caithness at the very top of the Scottish mainland since 2014. With only a 10 mile stretch of water between its closest point and here. Maps like the above are a help but it will only take someone who doesn’t know...

WRONG!!! https://www.nationalbeeunit.com/assets/PDFs/5_Beekeeping_in_Scotland/Map-showing-the-current-distribution-of-Varroa-in-Scotland.pdf

An update on the price of honey here. Why I hate shops aimed at visitors Orkney Honey 227g A local grocery store is selling the same jars for £7:50! I know the supplier and I know what they ask the sellers for.

You are right Ian it was picked up in “biosecurity surveillance hives at the Port of Newcastle” last June which which was in their winter time. I’ve been following the story on and off since then. Here’s the latest article on the abc site. At the end of it if you click on the more on beekeeping...

This photo was taken about a week ago and extracting is now well underway. I am using my Thomas 6 frame manual extractor and a 100kg bottling tank. My extractor is more than 25 years old now and I spent £45 last year on replacing the lids and a little welding on the cage. It’s good to go for...

You might laugh Spike but the carriage charge for the pallet of jars I recently got home was £159:35 !!! At this rate it won’t be long till we’ll be charging £6:00 for the jar 😭

I spoke to the farmer who owns the land where my hives were today and he said there was a couple of uncultivated fields full of ragwort less than half a mile from my hives. ( It wasn’t his land by the way) It looks like my bees took advantage of the easy pickings. I have put hives there for the...

You are probably right although the farmers mostly keep on top of it. I have found a thread about it on this forum. A search on the web says it’s not poisonous so I’m going to blend it in with the rest of my honey. I hope no one says “ you’re charging £6:00 for a jar that smells of pee!

Another any ideas? Only getting round to extracting now this year. Partly due to leaving the supers on for an extra two weeks due to the good weather and also waiting for our kitchen to be completed. No better way to christen it then to cover everything in honey and beeswax! All of my honey gets...

First of all I’ve just passed on 7 trays (196 jars) to another beekeeper and then I had a quick peep into the top supers of five hives. All full of bees working the combs, mild and humid here today and just right for the nectar to be coming in. Who’s buying the honey, both residents and tourists...

I totally agree with the above. I could put in a bit less but I’m just happy to cover my costs and maybe make a little on the side in a good year. I never got into beekeeping for the money. I find it’s the one’s who get a free jar or two that are always looking for a bit more!

I know this is an old thread but these arrived yesterday, a pallet of Freeman & Harding round 300ml jars. Far more than I will need but other beekeepers are going to take some of my hands. I ordered in bulk to keep the costs down but due to high carriage charges they work out at about 62p per...

The ling heather is out in parts of Orkney but the yield is very verifiable due to our climate. My sites aren’t close enough to get any real benefit. Plenty of meadowsweet still out and the bees work it well up here. Where the white clover was cut for silage it is now in second flower but again...

I was busy consolidating my supers yesterday. I filled 5 with empty frames and undrawn foundation and took them away. A mixed weather forecast for this week, but on fine days there is still a lot coming in. A lot of my hives are still packed with bees because of a slow build up which is common...

All the beekeepers up here overwinter on single broods and our bees manage fine despite our long cool winters. Beginners also need to mind on that leaving a super above the brood box overwinter leads to a brood and a half next spring! I will leave my rant about leaving extra honey on the hives...

Gosh that’s a long way to go for sugar and I am sure the excess baggage charge would have been horrendous 🤣

This apiary is in and unused garden beside a busy lane in the centre of town. It’s sheltered, a sun trap and l have been given the use of it for a small honey rent. Passers by sometimes stop at the gate to ask me about the bees so I decided to throw in an orange hive to brighten things up. This...

I have an orange-ish one as well. I have been absent for a while, more to follow.

1st of June and that would still be to early for up here! I am on the mainland but not the UK mainland ;)