I mentioned previously that keeping bees is full of surprises, and this week's update has just the right example. I will take you now with me on this week's featured, 30-minute long emotional rollercoaster ride. Gaining speed... I approached a busy, active hive, placed the bottom board I made, to seal the hive for winter, which didn't …
Category: Beekeeping Update
#010 Building up the Defense
I had originally planned this inspection for Tuesday, only to realise, no smoke and no boots was a really bad idea, given the latest mood exhibits of my bees, so I conducted it on Thursday instead. Everything was in order, including the latest stars of the season: the wasps. As predicted, the ratio of honey …
Video: Katkoot’s Beehive Stories
Dear readers, Thank you for following my adventure so far. I hope you enjoy this teaser of what is involved in my weekly inspections 🙂 Katkoot's Beehive Stories Yours, Katkoot
Overwintering bees
Overwintering has been a great concern for me over the past few weeks. This is where my path and other beekeepers' paths start to diverge a little. Actually, it is important to appreciate how little is known about bees and how difficult it is to find the right information on the internet or through libraries. …
#009 Super!
Ah, this inspection had a little surprise in store for us (yes, I have taken Jamil as my personal photographer), which I can't wait to show you. But first, a quick update on the inspection itself. During last week's inspection, I had spotted what I thought might be a trend. It seemed as though my …
#008 A Shift in Focus
These days are pretty hot and inspecting with a full suit on, knee-high boots and your hair in your face is a quite the task. Last time, I forgot my Wellington boots and had to complete the inspection with just socks over my ankle cuffs. This time, I left the boots behind on purpose because I couldn't bear …
#007 A Healthy Colony
I was on a holiday for two weeks and so I hadn't checked on the bees for two whole weeks! However, I was confident they were not up to anything exciting (others were worried about swarming as it was warm and the flow was good) because the colony was still quite small. Nevertheless, I was …
