Search results

My ivy is always late and has only just started flowering. When we had a rare decent day at the beginning ofbthis week, the ivy was alive with bees. Not seen since with the rain!

Some years ago, a bee crawled inside my rubber glove and stung me on the inside of my right wrist right by where the blood vessels come close to the surface. I did not feel the sting which is unusual and didn't discover it until over an hour later when my arm started to swell up, then had a...

Collected 4 swarms in the last week although i did not have to leave my apiary for two of them. One rehomed itself in an empty hive and another was sitting in a bkackthorn bush about a yard away from a nuc that i was just about to move to a full hive as bursting at the seams. Put the small...

Don't rush and give up. Some years ago i was bitten on the inside of my wrist and for some reason did not notice it. Some 2 hours later while sitting down indoors, i realised that i was itchy all over and that my face was gradually going numb. Went to my local Gp and communicated via written...

In my experience they will be gone by August and as long ss you do not position yourself in their flightline or interfer with their nest, they will ignore you. At my sailing club, we had a nest of tree bumbles establish themselves in the bow buoyancy compartment of a sailing dinghy. Despite...

Swarm on car Just collected a prime swarm from the rear of a bluehatchback. Covered most of the back of the car. Took a lot of work with a dustpan and brush but managed to get a couple of big panfulls into the skep before turning it the right way up. Watched bees fanning vigorously around...

"The most popular anti hornet device here is the arpa, it is very successful at knocking down forager numbers." Ok what is the arpa? The net reveals many possibilities, none of which appears to be appropriate.

Ivy flowering at last and bees on it despite the weather

I find with crocus that the local mice/shrew population like both colours but not snowdrops!

I wish. All i remember was that they were an early variety which i bought from a local garden centre to plant in a tub. All yellow flower head and scented. Have just been back to the garden centre and bought a variety called Intrigue which is all yellow and scented. We'll see next spring if...

Thats what i thought until i planted some early dafs that had fragrance. The bees love them so more being planted.

Depends if the goats are still out grazing in January / February when the green leaves come through. Many goat owners around here, house their goats indoors over the winter.

Get snowdrops. I have many snowdrops in my garden and the spring is the only time that i see my bees in the garden in any numbers. I also have crocus but they are udually ignored. Also do not waste your time with snowdrop bulbs but buy the snowdrops in the green just after they have finished...

If you're not into moving your bees around to specific crops, go for 14x12 every time. Much simpler than double brood and the queens like the bigger frames for laying. Mine usually completely fill each frame. Also you will rarely have overwintering starvation problems as plenty of room for...

'Not in rural Suffolk! Had two calls from folk in this small parish re 'swarms'. My reply: "Have you read my article in the parish mag (May)?".. "No!".... Doh - tree bumble bees as is often the case....!' In some eight years of swarm collection, i have only had two calls which were bumbles and...

Normally here in east Warwickshire, i get 3-4 swarms calls in May: this year none. Only swarm call was in early June for a largest cast. Will check at weekend if the virgin queen is laying yet. No calls for bumbles - only very rarely get these but then we are in a rural area and people...

Whatever the naysayers and experts pontificate, honey bees do collect nectar from field beans and it provides excellent honey. I currently have two large fields over the hedge from my garden which the bees are accessing to fill up the supers.

Two different chemical compounds, both of which occur naturally. Citric acid is a weak organic acid that has the chemical formula C ₆H ₈O ₇. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in the metabolism of all aerobic...

Would expect many years of wear. My main suit is some 15 years young and the veil is still perfect except for one small patch added after i burnt the veil on my smoker. Suggest that you contact the supplier and ask for a replacement foc.

So if you've got rape flowering somewhere near, you will end up with supers full of solid rape honey that you have to cut out and melt! Oh joy!