Monthly Archives: May 2013

colony failure

Posted on May 31, 2013 by jennylansdell

the bees in my garden got through the winter fine, started to flourish in the ‘spring’, and over the last few weeks declined- lots of oil-seed rape nearby in full flower. The bees leaving the hive began to fall down … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Beekeeping | 7 Comments

Secondary Swarm

Posted on May 31, 2013 by grahambrookbanks

My bees have just swarmed again – only ten days since the previous swarm! Unfortunately, this time they decided to settle in next door’s garden.  My neighbour called round in an agitated state to tell me.  Fortunately they were in … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Beekeeping, Swarms | 11 Comments

Articles on Swarms

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Gareth John

As the swarming season is upon us, I have gathered together my own small swarm of articles on the subject.  Some of them have been on the blog for a while, while others are new. The Wonder of Swarms looks … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Beekeeping | 5 Comments

Swarm Update

Posted on May 29, 2013 by Gareth John

I can see through the observation window that the swarm that I reported a week ago is clustered and building comb. The hive that threw the swarm started from a late swarm last year.  It had been hived in two … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Beekeeping, Swarms | Tagged | 5 Comments

Natural Beekeeping Courses

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Gareth John

I am collecting names of attendees for the next beginners course and almost have enough to set a date.  So if anyone else is thinking of attending, let me know using the contact form on the home page.  As always, … Continue reading →

Posted in Courses, Natural Beekeeping | Leave a comment

Bee deaths and preloved comb

Posted on May 26, 2013 by Gareth John

All the bees in our Warre have sadly died. The warre had an established colony – this year would have been its third full year. There is no sign of disease, and there is honey left inside, in the top … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Beekeeping, Warre Hives | 9 Comments

More Swarms

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Gareth John

It seems the reproduction season for bees is well and truly here.  One of my own hives swarmed today just after the sun broke from behind the clouds where it had been hiding all morning.  I was intending to go … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Beekeeping, Swarms | 6 Comments

Times of Plenty

Posted on May 22, 2013 by enhancingthefuture

After a slow start this spring, the bees have been getting down to some serious work. They filled the three boxes that were on the hive really quickly, which caused me to nadir a fourth box about 3 weeks ago. … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Beekeeping | 2 Comments

My First Swarm!

Posted on May 22, 2013 by grahambrookbanks

My bees swarmed this afternoon at 14:30. Fortuitously, I was in the garden at the time  For a while, the air around the hive was thick with bees, and the njoise was incredible!  I was a bit worried that they … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Beekeeping, Swarms | 1 Comment

First Swarm of 2013

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Gareth John

I have just returned from collecting the first swarm of the season for a beekeeping friend.  The call came as a surprise as I was not expecting any swarms until the first week of June.  The bees are dark and … Continue reading →

Posted in Natural Beekeeping, Swarms | 1 Comment