Author Archives: Meridian Beekeepers’ Association

If you are planning to sell a nucleus of honey bees to another Meridian member or elsewhere, you should conform to the following criteria set by the National Bee Unit. • As it develops, the nucleus (nuc) should be checked regularly for signs of disease. Any person involved in the production and distribution of nucleiContinue reading “How to prepare a honey bee nucleus for sale”

Honey is the substance produced naturally by honey bees from plant nectar. The nectar is processed by bees by regurgitation and evaporation. The dehydration of the natural sugars contained within the nectar prevents fermentation and the enzymes added during regurgitation, results in a change in the chemical composition and pH value of the honey. TheContinue reading “Health benefits of honey”

This page is based on an article by well-known British beekeeper Ken Basterfield which appeared in the BBKA News in February 2014. The article aimed to clarify the terminology and process of producing fine, soft set honey. Make sure you watch Louise’s practical demonstration too. Honey processing with Louise. Soft set honey is a versionContinue reading “Soft set honey, how to process”

Richard describes the productivity and fun of Meridian’s first meeting of the year. We managed in the two hours that we had set aside, to put together thirty frames with wax foundation. The workshop proved to be very useful with two or three of us putting the frames together then pushing these along the conveyorContinue reading “Meridian’s first meeting of 2023”

Most beekeepers think queen rearing is difficult or fiddly and don’t combine it with their usual beekeeping practices. This page is based on an article by Dutch beekeeper Jeroen Vorstman published in BBKA news in March 2017. The method described is based on the standard hive and doesn’t require any specialist equipment other than inexpensiveContinue reading “Queen rearing, a simple method”

I’d never been stung by anything until I started beekeeping but like most beginners, I soon became familiar with the sting a worker honey bee can inflict. The first time I was stung, I was surprised how painful it was but as time goes on, and as I received more stings, the pain seemed toContinue reading “The sting”

When we’re first confronted with granulated honey on the comb, we’re usually unsure of what to do. Often these frames are put in a plastic box and left forgotten at the back of the shed (I know I’ve done it) or worse, discarded as worthless. Often, the granulated honey will first be seen when uncappingContinue reading “Granulation of honey in the comb”

Since the arrival on our shores of the dreaded Asian hornet, most beekeepers have been more vigilant around their apiaries but some are using traps which indiscriminately kill all wasps including our beneficial native hornet, Vespa Crabro. Wasps generally get a bad press. Nobody (including beekeepers) enjoys them hovering over our barbecues and picnics. MostContinue reading “Learning to love wasps”

The British Beekeepers’ Association (BBKA) is asking local associations and their members to support their new honey petition calling on Government to change the Honey labelling rules so that UK consumers can easily recognise all countries of origin of the honey sold here. This is the second honey petition in the BBKA’s efforts to maintainContinue reading “Honey labelling petition”