Richard describes the productivity and fun of Meridian’s first meeting of the year. Meridian’s first meeting of the year went off with a bang, literally, with nine of us putting frames together and adding the wax, there was certainly a lot of banging going on! There was also a lot of coffee and tea drinkingContinue reading "Meridian’s first meeting of 2023"
Queen rearing, a simple method
Charged queen cells started using plastic cups 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’tContinue reading "Queen rearing, a simple method"
How to unite two colonies
The newspaper can be placed directly on top of the frames (brush or smoke bees down first) or on top of a queen excluder. The queen excluder is important, it means you’ll know where the queen is!! If you have a small or weak colony or perhaps, a colony in need of a new queen,Continue reading "How to unite two colonies"
The sting
Gotcha! 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 seemedContinue reading "The sting"
Granulation of honey in the comb
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"
Meridian Beekeepers’ Association 