Many beekeepers jump the gun when they suspect that a colony is queenless and introduce a new queen without verifying that they are in fact queenless and in need of a new royal. Introducing a new queen into a colony that is queenright will lead to the killing of the newly introduced queen. In this practical blog I will discuss how to correctly use a testframe to check if a hive is queenless or not.
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How to use a Testframe
DIY Water drinker for bees
Making a DIY water drinker for bees in your garden is a great way to provide a source of clean water for the bees to drink from. Here you will learn how to make a simple bee watering station for your garden. It is a great and fun DIY project for children, and they will be able to observe the bees and other insects when they come to drink.
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Bee Sting Remedies
Did you ever get stung by a bee? It can be quite an uncomfortable experience. Knowing how to deal with it properly can make a big difference. In this blog, I’ll guide you through essential steps and effective home remedies to provide relief from bee stings.
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Bees in Chimneys: Identification, Removal and Prevention
Discovering bees in your chimney can be a cause for concern. While bees are beneficial to the environment as pollinators, having them in your chimney can pose risks to your home and family. In this comprehensive blog post, we will cover various aspects of dealing with bees in chimneys.
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Uninvited Guest: The Death’s Head Hawk Moth
The Death’s Head Hawk Moth is a large, striking moth. It is a rare sight in Ireland and the UK, with only a handfull reported each year. However, the moth is known for its strong connection with honeybees. In this blog post, I will explore the fascinating world of Death’s Head Hawk Moths, and their unique relationship with honeybees. I will also shine a light on their place in history, mythology and culture.
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How to find the queen bee
As a beekeeper, there are very few things as frustrating as not finding a queen when you really have to. In this article I will offer a few tricks how to find the queen bee and go through some tried and tested methods for finding elusive queens.
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Beehive Insulation, Condensation & Ventilation
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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Spring preparations and first inspection
For many beekeepers, the start of spring is usually one big, long, drawn out wait for good weather. Weather warm enough and calm enough for the beekeeper to spring into action for the first inspection of the year. It may come at the end of March, but it may equally be April until the conditions are right, and we can finally don our bee-suits. Read this article to find out how to get your spring preparations underway and all you need to know for that all important first inspection of the year.
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The importance of mentoring
Halfway into my first summer as a beekeeper a man in a white van drove up and parked outside my gate. He got out of the van, opened the gate and without as much as a hello uttered: ’You have bees.’ That encounter was the start of a long, enriching and wonderful friendship. The man in the van was Leo, and he was to become my mentor over the next few years. Until the playing-field was levelled, and we became partners in crime.
I always thought of mentoring as something other people availed of, probably a bit too fancy for me. And anyway, I have always had a rebellious mind and was never too keen on taking advice or accepting authorities. I just never though that mentoring was for me! I was going to create my own path in life and learn from my own mistakes. And then Leo opened that gate and let himself in.
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