What do bee keepers do when bees are snow bound?

Answer, well of course they clean their fish tank, ok absolutely nothing to do with bees, but it's been a slow old day, not ventured outside other than to get a puncture fixed, ok a new tyre! And this was my therapy, pre clean and post clean.

The devils brew :)

The mix has been taken, one tea spoon each of the black molasses sugar, aspinals organic cider vinegar and lastly but not least my honey, it looks a strangely disconcerting mix in the bottom of my mug.

Adding half a cup of boiled water and it's looking like that old football half time favourite of bovril, I can't remember the last time I drank that, but I do know this tastes nothing like it! The rich smell of honey hits the senses first, followed by the sweetest tasting hot drink I have ever had, no sign of the cider vinegar in that!

I first gave the tonic ingredients to Paul back in the summer as we walked around the boundary of "The Field of Dreams" one Saturday afternoon, four days later his text read something along the lines of, "your cure, f*****g awesome", so fingers crossed will be back later in week with a positive update :)

Another first I'm sitting on train doing my first mobile update! Photos won't load, that will have to be later.

Molasses, cider vinegar and honey

Some might remember my cure for gout, well don't think I have it, but big toe on right foot playing up so decided time to test it out.

Didn't find dark molasses but have it on good advice from Paul Miller that the sugar version does the trick.

So first dose tomorrow morning, all is ready on the kitchen side to remind me.

Watch this space, who knows it might just work.

Bee Rescue

Well another snow storm and the bees are covered up, popped out and uncovered the entrance so could fit the snow porch. Plenty of dead bees inside, but will leave them bee until weather improves, never good to open hive when it's like this, they are usually ok, they can keep hive at 25 deg, so can do without me opening it up and letting all that heat out.

Maybe their energy can be harnessed to solve world's energy problem? :)

One kamakazi bee did decide to fly in -1 deg but she just flew into a snow drift, tried to get her to go back into the hive, but you know what these women are like! :)

Snow again

Just gone midnight and the snow is falling heavy, was it only a year ago that the same was happening and I was making igloo entrances for my ladies and when it thawed out all those dead bees with me thinking that I had lost my colony! A bit more relaxed this time around, they will be fine, but will pop out in morning and fit the snow canopy, too late now, bedtime for me and not the weather for creeping out into the garden in my boxers either!

Pollen on 1st of Jan!!!

Happy New Year and what a strange start, the bees were busy on New Years Day much as they are today.

Nothing really unusual about that, because when the temperature tops 10 deg the ladies will pop out for a toilet trip.

However it looks like they've been to the January sales because they were coming back with pollen on their legs, if you look closely at photo you can see it. Where the hell are they finding pollen on 1st January! Maybe they are visiting the cut flowers at Whyteleafe Church's graveyard which is about half a mile away, they certainly seem to be coming from that direction.

Well the weather's all a bit strange this year, my bonsai are beginning to bud, bulbs have leaves a foot tall and a colleague at work says her dad's apple trees have blossom on!

It's not just the bees that are confused!

Queen rearing

Last night attended the first Queen rearing class by Mike aka 'Beesnbeans', very informative, and with all the kit they supply these days should be fun raising queens, the only problem I see is where on earth am I going to put all these hives, my little ladies have a real issue with me cutting the grass so definitely can't put another hive in my garden!

So next task is to get some nuc boxes made up and perhaps some mini nucs to drop the virgin queens in.

Should be fun and potentially profitable too.

EU madness

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/beekeeping/8873410/European-court-rules-beekeepers-must-prove-GM-pollen-is-not-an-ingredient-of-honey.html#disqus_thread

Surely Brussels has really lost the plot, just how many of these crops will there be in the gardens of Whyteleafe, sounds like more jobs for the boys and I bet there is only one country in the EU that would act upon this???? Because our lot are just as daft at times!!!

Bee Botox

Well yesterday was such a nice day weather wise that decided should really tidy garden and cut grass, might not get another chance when grass was reasonably dry.

Big mistake, bees still don't like me cutting the grass, they got an early strike in when I was only using shears, on forehead, I was going to post a photo, but when a colleague at work said I looked like one of the aliens from Star Trek I thought better of the photo! :-)

Ended up cutting the grass in my bee suit, this can't carry on! But hey by the next time I cut the grass all these bees except the Queen will be dead and the next generation might be in a better mood?

But on the plus side no wrinkles again on my forehead, time to google this bee sting therapy that Victoria Beckenham has done, maybe I can offer lunchtime sessions at work, a whole new sideline to beekeeping :-)

A very old bee

Spotted on the wall of St Peter's church at the Vatican, I wonder why somebody chose to make this all those years ago?

Back in Whyteleafe the bees were tucking themselves in for the winter and then we get a nice warm day and the promise of 18 deg tomorrow.

Tomorrow will drop the second Apiguard into the hive and after talking with fellow bee keepers will drop the crown board below the super and let them spend the winter in just the brood box which is how it should always be. Easy to get this beekeeping thing a bit confused at times, will probably change my mind again by morning! :-)