Warré hives

Yet another topic that has escaped me: Warré hives. On principle I like the let-the-bees-alone attitude, and I like the word 'nadiring' even more!

See http://www.bee-friendly.co.uk/

Viable

Lovely pics on this blog: https://beeviable.wordpress.com/ 

Will it ride up with wear?

Beekeeping in the news again, this time The London Evening Standard: http://www.standard.co.uk/news/london/rise-of-the-urban-beekeeper-london-rallies-to-plight-of-the-humble-honeybee-10283958.html

Comedy-size beekeeping Marigolds. How on earth can she handle the frames with those monsters flapping around her fingers? The suit is on the generous side, too. No doubt it will ride up with wear.

All you ever wanted to know about honeybee forage but were afraid to ask

Ask Mark Patterson, Forage Officer at the London Bee Keepers' Association!

Compete with friends and unlock stickers

Do you know what this is? Nope, me neither.

https://www.swarmapp.com/

Middle-class urban beekeepers blamed for town centre swarms

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/earth/wildlife/11600059/Middle-class-urban-beekeepers-blamed-for-town-centre-swarms.html

I particularly like (a) the idea that beekeepers rather than bees are responsible for swarms, (b) the use of 'blame,' and (c) the ignorant lack of hyphen in the newspaper headline. 

Memento Mori

Last year at an NT property, no less, I found a former orchard containing five WBC hives, of which two or three were moribund and yet still had boxes and frames inside. I peeked inside one active hive, which seemed to be full of wax moth (I did not have time to look properly).

After contacting the local association and a bit of asking around, I am fairly sure the beekeeper has sadly flown his last flight, and the NT had, er, not noticed. Which rather got me to thinking: does anyone include "what to do with my bees" in their Will?

The hive at my right shoulder was busy - but look at the height of the grass. The bees could barely fly in!

Nectar

The happy blogger's buzz: colonies building up fast, warmer weather returning, and incompetent beekeeping, like the nectar, in full flow.

Sitrep: Hive Alpha. A mouse gobbled up half of one colony and brood frames during the winter, yet somehow the bees made it through. The girls were rewarded with some spanking new frames and foundation from Thornes, and seem to have recovered well.

Sitrep: Hive Hanoi (a towering ziggurat of WBC lifts, hence the snappy name). More bees than you can shake a stick at - and I have shaken a fair few sticks in my time. I'm thinking of splitting the colony.