What's happening right now?
This page shows at a glance some of the activities and events going on now.
It's that time again. Preparing for planting and tidying up is the order of the day for the next few weeks.
​
Sessions are Saturday morning 10:30 to 12;00. Come up and see us, but bring your wellies and prepare to do a bit of work!
​
Bees
​
Our first disappointment of the year is loss of both bee colonies. Initial thoughts are that colony 2 was not sufficient enough in size to handle the cold of the last few months. This was the hive which had been re-queened. The bees were found in cluster with sugar syrup still untouched. A good deal of mould was present.
Colony 1, which was a good size, was almost down to just a few bees. On inspection we found a good amount of stored honey but little in the way of bees. It looked just like the aftermath of a swarm but we can't be sure as it would have been at a time where the colony would have been preparing for over-wintering.
The bees showed no sign of varroa in the run up to Autumn.
5 super frames of honey remain and these will be extracted and transferred to jars for sale.
Plans are already in place to re-establish two more hives but also to provide more protection from the elements as the current location is below trees and is extremely damp.
It may also be a good idea to try to find a sponsor for the bees to help pay for new colonies. If anyone could help in that respect then please email me at stu-graham@live.com
Stuart Graham
​
Coming soon
​
​
​