Category Archives: Disease

Beeswax Fillings

You know that feeling –  happily munching on the sourdough and marmite breakfast toast when suddenly there’s a stone clattering about in the mix. How can this be?

If you are young and your teeth are white and shiny – then there probably is a stone in the mix and as long as you don’t crunch it – all will be well.

However, if you are not so young and your teeth are rickety like mine – there’s probably a lump of dentistry in there. And you know what that means don’t you. Dentist is what it means. Usually.

However, for us  beekeepers there is another possible, albeit temporary solution. Read on…

Continue reading Beeswax Fillings

Christmas – Bees and Wintering

Christmas is one of the four quarter days which mark the changing of the seasons.

The four quarter days are:

  • Lady day or the Feast of the Annunciation 25th March;
  • Midsummer’s day around 25th June;
  • Michaelmas 29th September;
  • Christmas 25th December – lest we forget. Fat chance.

They all approximately coincide with either an equinox or a solstice.

Continue reading Christmas – Bees and Wintering

Honey with Gin Innit

Here’s a honey recipe to help you forget your cold or flu or whatever it is that ails you.

Ingredients

  • 50mls gin
  • 15mls lemon juice
  • 10 mls honey
  • 5 mls water

Method

  • Mix all the ingredients together;
  • Pour over 3 ice cubes;
  •  Add a slice of lemon.

Repeat as necessary.

Of course if you have ivy honey – use that, as it is said to be especially good for colds and chesty coughs.

Cheers!

Click here for more recipes

Click here for more about ivy honey

Click here for how to get a crop of ivy honey

Click here for more about ivy as a bee tree

 

How to Breed Varroa Resistant Bees

It is well known that some colonies of bees have traits such as grooming or hygienic behaviour which make them better able to cope with Varroa. Pinpointing such colonies with the aim of selectively breeding from them can be a challenge. There are several  different methods and they range from the meticulous to the downright ruthless. Continue reading How to Breed Varroa Resistant Bees

MAQStrips – Do they work?

Mite Away Quick Strips (MAQS) were the beekeepers’ Great White Hope but the results this spring are not great – has something unexpected interfered or were our expectations unrealistic?

The first spring inspections of 2015 have been a bit of a shock. Not that I’ve had many losses – only about 5% – and the cause seems to have been queen failure (Click here for guidance on how to conduct a post mortem). The rest are mainly good and strong heading into the summer.

However there are problems out there… Continue reading MAQStrips – Do they work?