Meridian members gathered at Swanmore today for our second apiary meeting of the season. The weather and bees were both kind for which we were grateful; we had several new members in attendance including Eileen, Jane, Kate, Pete, Patrick, Rachael and Jake. In all, three hives were opened including Robin’s colony housed on twenty-two framesContinue reading "Apiary meeting, 21 May"

I am pleased to say that both Meridian colonies at West End apiary survived the winter and as soon as the weather warmed up, in March, we were eager to open the hives and evaluate their progress. The West End apiary is developing steadily It was noted that there was brood and eggs present butContinue reading "Denise: Spring update, West End apiary"

On Sunday 8 May, Louise and Denise hosted the second of the practical sessions; the culmination our most recent introduction to beekeeping course. There were eight new beekeepers present; Jane Dunham, Rachel Cole, David Bence, Tom Wells, David Redman, Paul and Alex Whitfield and Eileen Mansfield. The sun shone, the bees were on their bestContinue reading "Practical day, 8 May"

Post event notes and suggested way forward From: Louise Evans, 22 March 2022 To: Meridian membersSubject: Asian hornet briefing Dear all, Thank you to those who attended the briefing on the Asian Hornet. Together, with the education of members and spring queen trapping (with traps adapted to prevent the slaughter of other beneficial species) weContinue reading "Asian hornet talk"

It was a beautiful day for an apiary meeting; warm enough to keep our bees happy but cool enough to be comfortable in a bee suit. These two short videos give a flavour of the day. Denise led us through the Meridian colonies, both of which were looking good. Denise had successfully completed Bailey combContinue reading "Apiary meeting, West End, 24 April"