Natural Beekeeping

Its holiday time and time to check on the bees winter stores, in what we now call the North and South hives. If you look in our picture gallery, the North hive is the one in the foreground.

I am going to use a tripod to just gently lift our hives off the ground by no more than an inch. I am doing this for two reasons. Firstly I don’t want to disturb the bees by tilting the hive boxes (Hefting) and possibly jolting them. The queens are very sensitive to movement, particularly in the winter.

Secondly I have never been a great judge of weight. (When in the butchers I always go by number of bacon rashers or the physical size of a joint. I also like nut roast).

The instructions I am following are from the Abbe Warre Beekeeping For All. All I have to do is make a tripod and borrow some scales.

Well I know a man with some lightweight fence posts and a fishing friend is going to help me out with the scales. This could almost be River Cottage!

Like in the Abbe Warre book we have just two boxes for wintering the bees, the top box contains honey, and the lower, brood. Both are full of drawn comb.

The Warre Beekeeping For All tells me- “From the gross weight subtract 8 kg for two boxes of drawn comb, 2 kg for bees and brood, 1.5kg for the hive floor, 0.75 kg for wooden legs” plus the weight of the straps / support you might be using for lifting the hive.

Now the instructions also say, all you need to do is make the weight of the honey up to 12 kg again. (This should be done via a top feeder.)

Question for you: I started with approx 12 kg (I did judge this! I put 12 bags of sugar into my supermarket shopping basket one day to just get a feel, then I put them back) as recommended for the Warre bee hive, so I presume I am going to be less. However, if the scales and calculations indicate that 6 or 7 kg of honey is remaining is that going to be sufficient till spring. I want to avoid adding sugar if I can. Comments welcomed.

Happy Christmas,

David & Mel.

I thought this made great reading. I copied it of a comments page and I am still trying to get back to the source so I can credit the writer.

“To check if what you’re buying is actually pure honey, drop a small blob into a glass of water. If the blob disperses, it has been diluted. If it sinks to the bottom and stays intact the honey is pure. Another way is to dip the wooden tip of a matchstick into the honey. Light it with another match. It should burn like a small candle flame without spluttering or black smoke”

I didn’t know that. Do they do this at your local beekeeping association honey show?

Best regards David

There are three new winter photographs in the Picture Gallery. See what your Warre hive might look like in the snow, with a mouse guard and in the winter sunshine.

I find a regular inspection on our Warre bee hive entrances right through the winter months is required.

Bees are dying all the time, for new beekeepers the numbers might seem dramatically greater than expected or generally publicised.

It only takes a few dead bees to block the small entrance holes in your mouse guard. This can prevent bees leaving your Warre hive for watering and toileting, it’s even been know to be the cause for the loss of the whole colony.

The beekeepers animal husbandry duties are certainly not over in the winter, I will also check later this month the potential honey stores remaining.

Best regards David

Our Christmas Warre Beehive / beekeeping invitation is going down well, it looks like I will be putting weight on as I have promised Christmas cake, Mince pies…

Some of you, sadly, can’t make Cornwall over the Christmas holiday for our informal afternoon free beekeeping course, so I have agreed to visit several potential beekeepers at their local pub during my travels to chat about keeping bees in general.

So sun, rain or snow! I will be travelling week beginning 13^th December 2010 via the Midlands and Home counties, I have yet to arrange my hotel so on a first come basis I would be more than pleased to stop at a location on route to chat about your beekeeping questions in general.

Best regards David