Category: Hobbies & Pastimes

Bee-location, Bee-location 0

Bee-location, Bee-location

We moved a beehive again on Monday evening. As per usual, our beekeeping activities took place under cover of darkness. The hive in question had been moved from Aberystwyth to our house a couple of weeks prior and was now going back to our new out apiary just outside of Aberystwyth. All went well and...

Alliums 1

Rise of the Alliums

It’s been a long wait, but the Alliums that I planted out (as part of a birthday present) back in October of last year are finally making an appearance. Every time I look at the little border along the conservatory there are more appearing. The edges of the border need tidying up and I could...

Constructed Beehive 2

Bees Under the Floor – Pesky things!

We’ve been busy this weekend building our new hives. Morgan has been helping and then today all three of us were at it and we’ve gradually turned the pallet of wood that arrived last week into two new beehives. There’s another two to build yet though. First we have to seal all of the cut...

A Pallet of Beekeeping Supplies 4

Beekeeping in the Dark

Things are beginning to get busy in our beekeeping world again. Yesterday we took delivery of a pallet of supplies. I was sat working at my computer when a huge articulated lorry pulled up outside, there was a knock on the door and the delivery driver said there was a pallet for us. My mind raced, I...

New Apiary Site 2

A New Apiary Site

Hopefully, if our bees survive the next month or so, they’ll expand rapidly in number and we’ll end up with more colonies than we started with. Our plan this year is to ‘make increase’ by performing artificial swarms and re-housing the swarms in new hives. Our garden isn’t big enough for too many hives and not really...

Honey Bees on Crocuses 2

The Bees think Spring is Here

I mentioned the other day that the bees were busy. Well, they’re at it again, out enjoying the Spring sunshine and feasting on the pollen and nectar from out little patch of crocuses. As new beekeepers who are just coming out of their first winter with bees, it’s a lovely sight to see. It must...

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Springing into Life

Sunday morning was absolutely gorgeous here. A perfect early Spring morning that just can’t be beat. I was up early to go for a run and a swim, did a bit of work, got ready and then headed into Machynlleth. The temperature was around 1°C there and mist was hanging in the valleys with gorgeous...

Stores for Winter – Beekeeping Season Starts Again 0

Stores for Winter – Beekeeping Season Starts Again

After to big freeze of last year, the winter of 2011-2012 has been fairly mild. So what does this mean for our honey bees? Well, we had a check on our three hives this winter and things don’t look too bad. It’s difficult to know if bees consume more food in warm winters than in...

Crocus 0

The First Flowers of Spring

We may have had some of the coldest temperatures of the winter last week, and the rest of the UK is currently under a blanket of snow and ice, but not so here in West Wales. The temperature hasn’t got anywhere near freezing today, there hasn’t been any snow in sight and even that on...

Red Sky in the Morning 0

Red Sky in the Morning

After a glorious night of star-gazing last night we were treated to an amazing sunrise too. You can’t beat the natural world for a light display.