Winter is here
One of the final challenges in my first year of beekeeping was the winter oxalic acid treatment for varroa. I’ve
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The mystery of the disappearing queens
My bees arrived in April. By June, one colony was rebuilding itself after a swarm while the other had mysteriously
Read moreOnly half the split works and I don’t know why
By now I’d had my bees for 10 weeks. While other newbies seemed to be making new colonies and adding
Read moreInspecting after the swarm and the split
My apiary was growing. I now had three hives and I was on target for ending the season with four
Read moreSplitting a hive and the mystery of the pink queen
I’d lost half the brown hive girls to a swarm, and needed to avoid the same thing happening to the
Read moreWhat happened after the swarm
The brown hive girls swarmed at 11.00 a.m. on a hot sunny day. Looking back, they’d been warning me of
Read morethe day the bees left
On the previous inspection I was excited to see how fast the colonies had developed. It was the fifth week
Read morelessons learned in the first month of beekeeping
When it comes to preparing for an inspection, I still haven’t mastered the art of getting suited and booted (good
Read moreKeeping it in the family
After the second solo inspection, I felt more confident. The hives were looking well with capped brood and stores. I wasn’t
Read moreOn gaining confidence
The bees arrived three weeks ago but I don’t feel like a beekeeper. When does the confidence kick in? After
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