In winter and spring you will often hear beekeepers talk about beehive insulation, condensation and ventilation, and the different ways in which a hive can be set up to deal with the issue of dampness in the hive. While many novice beekeepers worry about the cold, more experienced beekeepers know that it is the dampness that can cause real damage to a colony of bees in the winter. But why is this and how can we deal with it?
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Beehive Insulation, Condensation & Ventilation
Hive records for beekeepers
Hive records are essential to beekeeping & a very useful tool. Good record keeping will help you understand what happens in a colony and why.
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How to clean a bee suit
The bee suit, or beekeeping suit, might be the most helpful piece of equipment used by beekeepers. This garment allows us to get up close and personal with our bees, to carry out inspections unimpeded, and makes most beekeepers feel extra safe and comfortable when handling bees. Bee suits are especially important for beginner beekeepers, …
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Irish Beekeeping Suppliers – Directory
A complete and up-to-date directory of Irish beekeeping suppliers and manufacturers. Let’s shop in Ireland and support our small local businesses.
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Bee suit – a buying guide
Bee suits come as full suits and as separate jacket and trousers. Many beekeepers who opt for a jacket do not bother wearing an extra pair of trousers but go for jeans or work-trousers in a heavy fabric instead. There are pros and cons to both styles, but it is generally recommended that beginners get the full suit.
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Honey Refractometer – All you need to know
There are many honey refractometers available on the market, most are portable and easy to use. There are both analogue and digital instruments available, ranging in price from around twenty Euros to several hundred and even thousands for laboratory style pieces.
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Cleaning beehive frames and equipment
Clean frames and comb are nicer to use than old, dirty ones. But that is not the reason we should endeavour to keep our frames clean and the comb fresh. Both frames and comb, as well as other hive equipment, can harbour a wide range of organisms known to negatively impact honeybees.
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Feeding honeybees, what’s the buzz?
Early on in my beekeeping days I received a text-message from an acquaintance who had bought a year’s supply of honey from me. It went something like this:
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‘Hanna, can you swear, hand on heart, that your honey is not just sugar water that you have fed to your bees?’
