I've been rendering and cleaning wax for entering into the honey show, and moulded some wax yesterday to see how it came out. The 8oz blocks were a dismal fail, I must've got some water (probably from steam) into the wax, because this happened; This would have been my entry into class10; Class 10 One … Continue reading Not quite right…
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Spending Money made from honey
Today was the day to collect the new beekeeping equipment I had pre-ordered from E.H Thorne's open day at Stockbridge in Hampshire, it's an hour and a half drive up, but it was a lovely day for it. It was nice to meet several members of the local beekeeping association there too - and the … Continue reading Spending Money made from honey
Asian hornet: Fowey nest destroyed as two new sightings confirmed in Liskeard and Hull
Two more sightings of Asian hornets have been confirmed and surveillance activity is underway. Published 10 September 2018 From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Lord Gardiner of Kimble The National Bee Unit has called for the public to report any suspected Asian hornets after two further confirmed sightings in Liskeard, Cornwall and … Continue reading Asian hornet: Fowey nest destroyed as two new sightings confirmed in Liskeard and Hull
Hornet Nest Hunting in Jersey
The BBKA recently published an article about searching for Asian Hornet nests on the Island of Jersey. This shows the difficulties they are having, and just how quickly the spread of the invasive hornet is taking place. This does not bode well for the mainland UK, with an Asian Hornet recently having been captured alive … Continue reading Hornet Nest Hunting in Jersey
Show wax part 2
Here is the update on my show wax preparation... For a first try at cleaning wax to this level, and moulding it, I don't think it was that bad. I need to control the cooling down period more to prevent the wax shrinking too much in the mould, and losing shape - you can see … Continue reading Show wax part 2
Honey Show Preparations
I'm thinking that it was time I entered my hive products in the honey show, so am currently cleaning 2lbs of wax to make some 8oz and 1oz blocks for part of my entry. Now to sit back and see how it comes out, this is the first time I have attempted to clean wax … Continue reading Honey Show Preparations
Asian hornet identified in Cornwall
An Asian hornet has been found in Cornwall and surveillance activity is underway. Published 4 September 2018 From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, Animal and Plant Health Agency, and Lord Gardiner of Kimble The National Bee Unit has confirmed a sighting of the Asian hornet in the Fowey area of south Cornwall. This … Continue reading Asian hornet identified in Cornwall
End of season work
I'm taking advantage of the decent weather and painting a load of new poly mating nucs so I think it's time that I tidy up the stands for them too - 'insect friendly' paint being used, of course. I also have some new Maisemore's 6 frame poly nucs to paint. I use Valspar "Oxford Blue' … Continue reading End of season work
An Inspector (or 5!) came calling…
I had a visit from the National Bee Unit today, two bee inspectors and 3 auditors (why are there always more bean counters?). The auditors were checking that the bee inspectors carried out their work as per ISO standard, and that they were using and filling in the correct paperwork. The National Bee Unit (NBU) … Continue reading An Inspector (or 5!) came calling…
Use Honey first for a cough, new guidelines say
New guidelines for doctors from the National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) say they should tell patients to use honey first when they have a cough. This is based on 3 studies that showed honey reduces symptoms by 2 points on a 7 point scale. Honey and over-the-counter medicines should be the first line of … Continue reading Use Honey first for a cough, new guidelines say