When preparing a cake of beeswax for the show bench the general criteria are cleanliness and care but the show schedule should be consulted regarding other particulars especially the desired weight and dimensions. Assuming these can be satisfied then the beekeeper should proceed as follows.
But a word of warning – this is a right palaver! Continue reading How to Prepare Beeswax for Show
… despite its complexity, bees cannot live on honey alone. While the sugars in honey supply their energy needs, in addition they require protein, minerals and trace elements. Pollen is the source of these but like all things dietary – bees need variety as well as quantity.
I’ve adapted this recipe from one by Benjamina Ebuehi to include honey. I warn you – despite the healthy sounding ingredients – these craggy biscuits are extremely calorific and addictive.
Continue reading Honey, Tahini and Date Biscuits Even if you are a bee-god and you think your swarm control technique is perfection personified – always set up a catcher hive because you might be wrong!
It’s also a good idea because when your catchers start to attract attention you can be sure some bees somewhere are having bad thoughts. Sprinke the scouts with a little flour and watch which hive they return to. Continue reading How to set up a catcher hive
Honey is what bees make from nectar in order that it will keep; as such it contains what is present in the nectar minus some water. In fact it is much more complicated than that.
Honey is a complex mixture of:
This book is a collaborative work with contributions from expert beekeepers and scientists throughout Ireland.
It contains everything you need to know about the Native Irish Honey Bee – from evolution to genetics and into the future with conservation and ‘how to’ sections from commercial beekeepers.
Includes a practical section with step by step instructions on queen rearing and bee-breeding techniques.
Mead is a honey-based alcoholic beverage with a very long and colourful history. The Vikings were big into mead, as were the Druids, the Celts, the Saxons and, earlier still, the Neolithic/Iron age Beaker people. The Vikings drank it out of bull horns as did the Druids, Celts and Saxons. While the Beaker people drank it out of… well… beakers. Continue reading How to make mead from beeswax cappings
Beeswax Wraps can be a lovely Christmas gift. Making them shouldn’t be difficult but if you’ve ever tried it you’ll know that it can he tedious, painful and messy. But here is a nice, simple mess-free method you can use to produce some last minute beeswax Christmas presents in less than an hour. Continue reading Beeswax Wraps made Simple
Honey bees have been studied for centuries and most of their behaviour is well understood – all the way down to the chemistry of their pheromones and the order of molecules in their DNA. However, one aspect of bee behaviour that remains mysterious is the Drone Congregation Area or DCA. Continue reading How to Find Drone Congregation Areas
We all tend to have a knee-jerk reaction when we see a field of ragwort. Most of us regard it as a squalid poisonous weed which spreads like wildfire and until recently it would be difficult to find anyone with a good word for it. But why is that and where does it come from? Continue reading We need to talk about ragwort
