All posts by Gimlet

Life

Henry

June 1, 2018 Gimlet 2 Comments

This is Henry the fearless 12 week old kitten playing with his dog Polly, who isn’t as thin as she looks.

Bee Basics, Native Bee

Irish Native Queen & Nuc Suppliers

January 10, 2018 Gimlet Leave a comment

Queen bee returns from mating flight — Return of the Native

Click here for updated list of Irish Native Honey Bee suppliers

Click here for more about the Native Irish Honey Bee

Equipment, Skeps

Skeps and Skep Beekeeping

April 16, 2017 Gimlet Leave a comment

The straw skep is a familiar part of the beekeeper’s equipment. Nowadays they are used primarily to gather summer swarms and winter cobwebs but in the past, skeps were used to hive bees all year round. Continue reading Skeps and Skep Beekeeping →

Bee Basics

Keeping Bees isn’t Rocket Science…

April 9, 2017 Gimlet Leave a comment

…it’s much more difficult than that!

Forage

Bee Flower – Coltsfoot

March 9, 2017 Gimlet Leave a comment

Coltsfoot is in bloom now – 9th March 2017. It is an Irish native and a member of the aster family – their asterness is obvious in this rather poor header photograph.

I didn’t realise the bees visit this plant but here is the evidence – note the lemon yellow pollen loads.

Honey bee visiting Coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) note yellow pollen loads

Coltsfoot is unusual in that the flowers come out before any leaves are visible. The heart shaped leaves come along later and are not at all like a dandelion.

It is thought that Coltsfoot flowers are a cure for coughs.

Click here for more March bee flowers

Bee Trees, Forage, Native Bee

Noxious Weeds!

March 6, 2017 Gimlet Leave a comment

You know how we all go on about how there’s a law out there that says farmers should remove ragwort from their land or face the consequences?

Well beekeepers, read this and weep – the full list of ‘Noxious Weeds’ as specified by the Department of Agriculture is as follows: Continue reading Noxious Weeds! →

Bee Trees, Forage, Honey

Irish Beekeepers Protest

February 27, 2017 Gimlet Leave a comment

Beekeepers of Ireland rise up and protest against the Heritage Bill before all this goes up in flames!

Meet outside Dáil Éireann with Gerry Ryan et al at 12.30 on 2nd March 2017 and let our Senators know we are against this stupid Bill!

Click here for more about the Heritage Bill

Click here for the full text of the Seanad debate on this Bill in November2016 and which will be continued this Thursday

Bee Basics, Bee Trees, Forage

Heritage Bill?

February 19, 2017 Gimlet 4 Comments

The Heritage Bill, due before the Seanad this week (21st February 2017 ) seems to have nothing at all to do with Heritage other than to extend the period landowners or County Councils can burn, cut, grub or otherwise erase the natural bit from the landscape. That natural bit is the bit our bees rely on.

This the part of the bill that will most affect us:

“…permit to the burning of vegetation in March, during such period or periods and in such areas of the State as the Minister may specify. Section 8 also provides for the amendment of section 40 to allow landowners or their agents to cut, grub or destroy vegetation in any hedge or ditch during August, subject to such Regulations as the Minister may make….”

I don’t need to tell you that the gorse (aka furze) is in bloom in March and our bees are all over it gathering vital early spring forage. If it is grubbed out and burnt at all, but especially in March, our bees, wild bees and other insects will all be deprived of a valuable early spring pollen source.

As for cutting, grubbing and burning in August – well I also don’t need to tell you that – although our honey crop may be in, our bees are busily working all the other flowers in the hedgerows for as long as the weather allows in their build up for winter. Blackberry, for one, can flower well into October.

Let’s not forget that the heather will bloom all the way through August and into September. Heather is defined as scrub too.

Ling heather (Calluna vulgaris) honey — Heather in August

Hedgecutting usually means decapitating mature hawthorn trees so there will be no flowers for the bees on such victims for several years.

Then there’s other important bee trees – willow and hazel – otherwise known as scrub. We need all of this stuff!

Let’s not forget the ivy either!

This bill is due before the Seanad this week – 21st February 2017 -and beekeepers need to make their feelings known to their TDs, Senators and MEPs before it is all too late:

Detail

Here’s the section or the ‘Heritage’ Bill that will have most effect on bees, birds and other wildlife – vertebrate and invertebrate:

Part 3

Wildlife

Section 7 sets out definitions relating to the wildlife primary legislation.

Section 8 provides for amendments to section 40 of the Wildlife Acts. The new provisions under section 8 give the Minister power by Regulations to permit to the burning of vegetation in March, during such period or periods and in such areas of the State as the Minister may specify. Section 8 also provides for the amendment of section 40 to allow landowners or their agents to cut, grub or destroy vegetation in any hedge or ditch during August, subject to such Regulations as the Minister may make.

Section 9 relates to updating references to Inland Fisheries Ireland and to current fisheries legislation.

Section 10 provides for clarification of the powers of authorised officers of the Department and An Garda Síochána under the Wildlife Acts.

Section 11 provides for the updating of penalties for offences under the Wildlife Acts and the introduction of fixed payment notices for certain offences.