Beekeeper now

In case things were not hectic enough just before the wedding I decided to take a course about beekeeping. A friend of mine has several hives and suggested to me that the woods would be a good place for some hives so added to my interest in regenerating the woods, my love of honey and my interest in traditional past times it was only a matter of time. Years ago as a child I was stung twice when playing in an allotment not that it matters but I was right by the rhubarb so since then I have been very wary of bees but at some point in the last few years that has stopped and I cannot pin point when. The course was very well set out by the local beekeeper's association and in the afternoon we donned the massive suits and opened up the hives to take a look inside. It seems the tutors watch you as much as you watch them though and when I had gone to the loo I saw a small hive perched on a water butt only a few feet away and was completely absorbed by watching the girls zoom in and out with a funny wobble on the approach when they were fully laden with pollen, so much so that I did not see one of the course tutors watching me and how close I was to the hive without a suit on (about 10 inches). It makes sense that they want to check we do not freak out and panic when the bees fly close to us. JR doesn't join me when I do the checks as he likes to try and catch all flying things.

When I knew that I had a place on the course I bought a hive and a set of tools including the smoker and spent a couple of afternoons assembling it and my OH helped me to get it set up in the woods.

      

Once that was done I checked on the water situation as bees need a source of fresh water but not too deep as they will drown also they need a decent amount of forage so I tramped about to check what flowers were out and what they would have to keep themselves busy. Collecting my NUC (nucleus of bees, usually 5 frames of bees with a mated queen, bees and brood which is the sealed eggs) was nerve wracking and exciting in equal measure although the munchkins were not happy to have the sealed box in the back with them so they were put in the boot and wedged in so they wouldn't bounce about. Unsealing them was very unnerving too but my suit had not arrived by that point then transferring the frames into the hive was something I had skilled help with from my friend who had suggested bees to start with and her dad. My bees are Buckfast bees which have proven to be calmer, more productive and good in this climate. We have a very short season up in Scotland and a wet summer like this one can kill off whole colonies as they starve if they cannot get out to forage.

I have been going up to check on the girls as much as possible and keep the sugar syrup topped up to help them increase in numbers so they are prepared for the winter ahead. Luckily my OH encourages my fascination with these creatures and when I go to check on them I will sit next the hive afterwards and watch them bringing in pollen of many different colours.

Pausing after a long flight

Rush hour at the end of the foraging day

I wonder if they have flight control bees?

For some reason I thought it essential to keep a diary of each check, noting how much syrup they take down, how active they are, whether I see the queen, whether I get stung (not yet!), what colours of pollen they bring home. Identifying the pollen is interesting and I have already seen two types that are not found in the woods which shows that the girls are foraging a decent sized area. With the idea of regenerating the woods and providing good forage for the bees I have bought some wildflower seeds which are bee friendly and plants which are native to this area so next year I am hoping the girls will be making lots of honey. I have already seen lots of eggs which my queen has laid, lots of honey the girls have capped ready to get them through the winter. When my father in law was here he was very interested in the bees and came up to see them in their hive and took some pictures.

Yes, that's me in my suit, lifting out a frame to check it.

My suit is so comfy and I have lots of room to move, bend and lift, and do a funny space walk which I do every time. It was not the cheapest of suits but it is sturdy and should last a long time. https://www.bbwear.co.uk/beekeeping-clothing/fullsuits/bb1

The girls have drawn out the foundation wax and have started filling it with nectar. See the whitish line near the top? That is capped honey, three cells of it.

The view as I look in the brood box where they live. You can see which frames are new and which came with the NUC.

There will be updates and more photos if only because I have no pictures of the dark grey and white pollen they have been bringing in over the past two weeks.

Hugs from Haggis Land,

Jx