Apicentric Beekeeping

Most people are aware that our honey bees have undergone a significant decline in the past decade, and many factors have been attributed to this. I have had my own bees since April 2009 and was taught the 'traditional' method of hive management, namely, that the beekeeper knows best and needs to manipulate the bees' behaviour in order to produce the maximum amount of honey. I'm not saying that conventional beekeeping techniques harm the bees directly or that their owners don't care, but as with many commercial farming practises, it has taken its toll on the health of the organisms concerned.

The Natural Beekeeping Trust are endeavouring to change this approach, and today I went to an event at their Bee Classroom in Ashurst Wood, Sussex to find out about the different hive systems that can be used. I currently use a National which is a square box full of frames that can be inspected and harvested effeciently and easily, but it is not necessarily the conditions that the bees would choose to live in!

We looked at a number of different hives:

Einraumbeute or One Room Hive

Top Bar Hive

Warre Hive (sitting atop a painted National!)

The new Sun Hive

It was really interesting and a lot of emphasis was made on how the bees work very hard to maintain a temperature of 38 degrees C (as do mammals) within the hive, and our opening them up on a regular basis does much to disrupt this. It also introduces spores and other nasties to what should essentially be a sealed unit - sealed by the bees that is with a substance called propolis, which acts as an antimicrobial and anti-fungal glue to patch up any holes and pockets where infection could enter and to keep light and draughts out. Bees naturally nest high up in trees and in bringing them down to our level exposes them to cold and moisture from the ground that they would not normally have to deal with. This is before other 'essential' beekeeping measures have taken place; I will be spending a lot more time observing my bees and enabling them to express their natural instincts rather than diving in to the hive every week thinking I know what they should be doing...

The trustees who took the course were very inspirational and I would urge anyone reading my blog to try to make sure they purchase local, ethically produced honey, preferably early in the season so the bees have a chance to recoup their stores before winter, as standard practice is to strip the hive of honey in late summer and feed the bees sugar syrup to replenish their supplies. I don't think this is fair! I always leave enough honey for them to overwinter with and although I do sell the honey from my hives, I keep a decent amount back to ensure that I can feed them their own honey (slightly diluted) should the need arise. Such honey does command a higher price, but you will be supporting a sustainable and vitally important process: investing in bee colonies that will be provided with the resources to live long, productive and healthy lives.

I do hope my colonies make it through the winter as I am keen to see how they fare on less intervention over the summer. I will have to wait a few more months before they get going, and that depends on their Varroa load which unfortunately is high. Fingers crossed I will have some bees to watch come April.

Restful Day

I didn't have the children, dog, or anything to get up for so needless to say my 'lie-in' lasted until I woke up at about 6am and Started Thinking...nice thoughts admittedly but anyway I got up and did the animals.

This morning was spent with Charles, firstly mucking about with an app that makes your pictures into a comic-strip. Very silly but good fun!

Then we started sorting out seeds and deciding what we were going to plant, whilst watching the ducks in the tin bath. They go a bit cracker-duck and dive and splash around and frenetically preen so I take that to mean that they're having fun. After lunch we sat outside and actually did some planting:

We sowed loads of seeds and I planted out and potted on about 25 other plants.

I then had a visit from Kit who had taken a swarm of my bees for his hive (they'd absconded but luckily he didn't take it personally) who asked if I'd like to some and see where he keeps his bees - he and his wife own a 10 acre plot near the bridge down the road which they are using as a forest garden permaculture project. They've got nut and fruit trees and are coppicing the willow that's already there. Kit's built a spiral asparagus bed and I also saw his beehive...I really want one! It's a top bar hive and it has an observation window so you can see in the side! It was brilliant. I think instead of replacing or expanding my er, whatever the collective noun for hives is, I will get a top bar rather than more Nationals.

Anyway I came back, made some vegetable soup from my garden produce and shut the poultry in as I need a soak in the bath after all my traipsing around the garden with pots and compost!