So it’s April – here are some of the flowering plants that should be available for the bees: Continue reading Bee Flowers – April
All posts by Gimlet
Arnia Remote Hive Monitoring Data
Since installing the Arnia hive monitors two weeks ago the following reassuring data has come in.
Click it for a close up:
So what does this tell us?
Well it tells me I don’t have to worry just yet. Here’s why: Continue reading Arnia Remote Hive Monitoring Data
Shook Swarm
The shook swarm can be used in swarm prevention and comb replacement. It can also be used in disease control. It may appear brutal but it works and once they get over the shock the bees seem to appreciate it and go like stink to get back on track. Continue reading Shook Swarm
Arnia Remote Hive Monitors – Installing
After you have fired up your Gateway and Monitors and made sure they are communicating with each other and with the Mother Ship as per the previous article – the very first step is to make sure you have a mobile signal at your intended apiary. If you don’t check this, your carefully assembled set-up may have to be carefully disassembled. Continue reading Arnia Remote Hive Monitors – Installing
Arnia Remote Hive Monitors – Set Up
An Arnia hive monitoring kit, even at its simplest, consists of several components. The first thing you must do, before you take it to your bees, is fire it up and make sure all the constituent parts are working and that they are speaking to each other.
The set up isn’t difficult, the detailed instructions are clearly written in the User Manual but you wouldn’t want to do it out there in the weather with outraged bees. So here’s what you do. By the way – click any of these photos for a close up: Continue reading Arnia Remote Hive Monitors – Set Up
Bee Flowers – March
Until today – I’ve never seen a bee on a dandelion and didn’t really believe they found them interesting but here’s the evidence they do and the pollen loads are yellow. Click photo for bigger view:
Please note – the three most important plants for bees in March are Dandelion, Gorse (aka Furze) and Willow.
Click the photos below for a bigger version and note the colours of the pollen loads.
More bee flowers for March in the table below:
Click here for Gorse Pollination
Click here for more about Dandelions
Click here for Bee Trees: Poplar
Click here for Bee Trees: Willow
Click here for February Bee Flowers
Click here for April Bee Flowers
Click here for May Bee Flowers
Click here for June Bee Flowers
Click here for July Bee Flowers
Click here for August Bee Flowers
Click here for September Bee Flowers
Click here for October Bee Flowers
Click here for November Bee Flowers
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Honey Labelling Regulations
If you are a beekeeper and you are selling your honey from shops or a market stall it has to be labelled. There are EU and National regulations regarding what has to be on the label.
Here are the rules simplified: Continue reading Honey Labelling Regulations
How much does it cost to start beekeeping?
This question comes up quite often on our Beekeeping Course and it’s quite difficult to answer without making a list. There is much more choice of equipment available now with bargains to be had, but even then – it’s not cheap so be warned.
However something else to throw into the equation is that if you do take up beekeeping there should eventually be a payback in terms of honey which you can then either consume yourself or you can sell it. So an interesting way to consider the cost of starting up beekeeping is in jars of honey instead of euro.
The results of this exercise for 2009 and 2016 are shown in the table below where: Continue reading How much does it cost to start beekeeping?
Remote Bee Hive Monitoring
Remote hive monitoring by Arnia is space age technology for bees – all linked up to a central hub on the mother ship over the mobile phone network.
Of course there is no substitute for visiting the bees but a system like this could be very useful not only in preparing your next visit but also monitoring the results of your efforts from a safe distance.
A road test would be handy!
Make Your Own Scale Hive
A scale hive is a great way of keeping an eye on how much nectar the bees bring in during the day, how much water is evaporated off during the night or how many bees and how much honey left with that swarm you just saw leaving!
It can be an expensive addition to the apiary hardware if you want to go electronic. However, it is quite easy to make one from wood with some cunningly placed mirrors and a bathroom scales.
Here’s how… Continue reading Make Your Own Scale Hive