Our introduction to beekeeping course concluded on Saturday 24 June with the practical element at the Swanmore apiary. Fortunately, the weather was kind, the bees were on their best behaviour and everything went more or less according to plan. Thank you as always to the Hammond family for generously allowing us to park at theirContinue reading "Practical day, 26 June 2021"

Early stage swarm cells at the bottom of a frame Every Introduction to Beekeeping course concludes with a practical session at the apiary. In previous years, that session has been restricted to a hive inspection and the others topics discussed would have been covered in more detail in the classroom. We already know there were things weContinue reading "Introduction to Beekeeping Course, Practical Day"

The importance of being registered on BeeBase It’s very important for all of us to be registered on Beebase. This is so the National Bee Unit knows where all colonies are located so bee inspectors can monitor for the arrival of exotic pests. It also means they are able to control outbreaks of notifiable diseasesContinue reading "Exotic pests and notifiable diseases"

Most of us develop our own technique for building frames and even the least handy amongst us (I'm thinking about myself here) soon becomes proficient at the task and can build a set of frames quite quickly. This video by Meridian member Richard Skinner demonstrates how frames should be constructed according to the BBKA whichContinue reading "How to build a frame"

Varroa was imported to the UK and has devastated our bees. Help prevent the spread of other deadly pests. Stop the importation of honey bees into Great Britain. Please sign the petition and share the link petition The petition is to ask the UK Government to ensure people don’t break the rules on the movementContinue reading "Help save our bees!"