Bee Travels Around The World - Monthly Lecture

Bernard Diaper gave an interesting talk titled "Bee Travels Around The World".

He gave an interesting talk with pictures of bee keeping trips he has made around the world. He has visited various countries and seen honey bees around the world.
He had some beautiful pictures of the "Apis Dorsata" large Asian honey bee. He has been to Nepal to see the Honey Collectors in practice. This is something I have also wanted to do.

He also showed us pictures of various other trips including trips the Oman and Saudi Arabia where we were surprised on amount of honey collected.

Samples of the bees he had collected and including of some very small bees Apis Florea were passed around for us to see exactly how small some of the bees were.

On one trip to Brasil to had found stingless bees that collected honey and would full the hair of potential aggressors. They had even been reported that the bees could pull eye lashes and if that didn't deter people they could get behind in person's eye and attack the veins located in the eye socket. Very scary.

Bernard gave and interesting and will lookout for his talks in the future. He was the Apiary Manager of my local association and is also a very respected bee keeper and honey show judge.

Managed to get the grass cut

I have managed to get the grass cut. The first cut of the year. I started about 1pm and finished about 5pm. I had a couple of breaks and managed to clock up 25000 steps on the pedometer for the day. 

The majority of the grass  has been cut at the orchard. It looks lovely. I did a fairly high cut and the plan is to do another shorter cut next week, its dependent on the weather and time. 

Once the second cut is done I will get loads of daffodils planted for the spring. I also need to get other plants that are bee friendly.

Update for the Summer

Apples on the trees

With the school holidays and my daughter getting ready for entrance exams, I haven't made any updates.

Brood on the comb

So here is whats been happening. I still haven't cut the grass, that's not even once this year. I plan too this weekend. I have bought a trailer to get the mower to the orchard, and back. Its all loaded and and ready to go, just need the weather and several hours.

Cobnuts eaten not by me

Black Berries

MAQ strips on one of the hives

Fruit, been a good year. lots of apples, pears plums and cherries. I have also had cobnuts and black berries. I have collected some, lots to still be collected, and some had ripened on the trees. Some damage from natural pests, as I am still not using chemicals to deter them.

Honey, productive year, I have extracted twice and I have left the honey on one hive. I also entered my local honey show and got second prize for one of my candles.

I have put the MAQ strips on all the hives, one of the queens went of lay but she is now back on.

So all in all a good year so far.

I also have huge heap of horse manure which is well rotted, that needs to get spread under the trees.

I also have 2 sackfuls of daffodils that need planting. I'm planing on getting some caolourful tulips also. So much work and so little time.

The diary entries should get more into line now.

Orchard update

Bird in a pear tree

Over the past couple of weeks I have been a little lazy at the orchard. I have managed to extract some honey and I have even sold some at a National Open Garden, here in Birmingham.

The fruit continues to grow I really haven't done much with the grass nothing new has been planted either. Its grown quite high and is home to loads of butterfly and moths and other insects.

I have been doing some of study towards the next bee module, I have also attended a a bee health day in Sutton Park.

So keeping busy. It just feels like this year is whizzing by.

I have loads of pictures mind just need to get them uploaded.

Honey bee in blue flower

Attended the BBKA General Husbandry practical session

Marking Drones with a white dot

It was held at Warwickshire BeeKeepers Solihull apiary as I couldn't make the date for the Sutton Coldfield one. It was the first time that I had been to the Solihul Aprairy and it was very impressive. We did the practical sessions even though weather wise it wasn't ideal. We had showers that day and its was cloudy and during the sessions we did have a rain.

Celia Davis talking through creating a Nuc

They have about 10 hives and a number of nucs, all grounded and well positioned. The Apiary hut was also very professional, every thing in its place with lots of shelving space where everything was labeled. The whole Apiary is well organised.

Its very impressive, they even have loos. The location is also very well located in a semi rural setting with woodland and farmland on its doorstep.

The training was presented by Celia Davis and David Sutton. Both gave demonstrations and talked through everything well. I asked how a Lateral Flow Device worked and Dave Sutton demonstrated with a real kit.

We had to do an artificial swarm, Clip a drone check for Brood diseases and build a nuc. We all participated in the practical activities and we all had a go at Clipping a queen and checking for brood diseases.

Dave Sutton demonstration looking for brood diseases

I got stung in the head 3 times which put a dampener on the day and I would have preferred smaller practical groups, but we were in 2 groups of 8. The actual talks were fine. Smaller groups of 4/5 would be better.

Not sure if I am ready for the general husbandry exam yet, at least a year away. I could do all the practical activities requested, just not sure it would be upto the standard required for the BBKA.

MSOG Blossom Orchard Walk

Path up-to the community orchard

As a member of the Mid Shires Orchard Group (MSOG) I was invited to the the annual general meeting, which unfortunately I missed (didn't want to take the kids to the meeting) but then in the afternoon I did attend the Blossom orchard walk and picnic in Little Horwood, Buckingham. I took the kids and my sister, they played in the park while I ventured with other members of the group into a showery May Saturday afternoon. 

The Little Horwich Community orchard

Mike Jones Apple and Cider trees in an allotment

We walked around the community orchard with Mike Jones who makes his own delicious cider. The community orchard is a little scruffy but a lovely orchard. They have various fruit trees and and have added to the orchard regularly. Mike told us the history of the orchard and how its came into existence. Mike had worked hard over many years (30+) to establish and build environmental havens that part of the world.

One of Mikes Jones hives in an orchard

Mike also showed use around another orchard which he has 130 trees, it was very impressive and showed what members of the public can do with some persistence.

Then we enjoyed a picnic as the weather brighten up, all in all a very enjoyable day.

Growth now pushing through

Apple blossom

I checked on most of the trees and some of the blossom now has gone mainly on the cherry and plum and you can see the fruit-lets. The apple blossom is still going strong.


In the trees its possible to see small little green fruit-lets mainly on the plums and cherry trees. Lots of them especially on the cherry trees.

The weather has been good for the fruit we have had sun and rain not too much frost and the trees and the soil are responding well and the trees are growing. The leaves are getting bigger and the grass is also getting taller.

Hemish hiding in the grass

I can see lots of dandelions and the buttercups are starting to come out. I am planning on planting more flowers out over the next few weeks. I would like a meadow floor in the orchard lets see how it goes.

That is expensive and time consuming, both things I could with more off. Going to start with some basic flowers. I will see how they do, and then plant more.

My son is able to hide in the parts of the orchard that have long grass. It will have to cut not sure when but I may cut out a path so I and others can walk around.

Ladybirds in the orchards

At present it does look like it might be a good year for the orchard. However its still early in the year and no point in predicting the fruit yet.

I'm not seeing many aphids, yet but I have seen caterpillars.

Some of these caterpillars are going to start munching through the leaves. If it gets to be an issue I will spray either an organic compound or soapy water on the leaves.