Rebel Bee
Bees + Honey
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Lambasted
Never balk at forking out for good PPE. It does what it says. Personal Protection My shiny new triple-layered bee suit paid for itself yesterday. You know how you leave the best until last? Well…I had left the worst until last procrastinating removal of the supers from a hive that is in an awkward location…
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Taking off honey supers
Not a lot to it really, take the box and run. Except…, I want the box to be too heavy to run with, and the terrain to be somewhat even. Of course, there is the spectacle of thousands of angry, possessive bees taking to the air to contend with. They are swooping and diving and…
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Gone fishing
Bee keeping forums are a-buzz with beekeepers telling us that they are stacking up supers on their hives which the bees are filling wall-to-wall with honey. Novice beekeepers in contrast, are pleading with their peers for advice and wondering if their hives too should be spilling over with honey now and if not, what are…
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What do you put in a bait hive?
Handing over my last precious jars of honey of the season to an eager customer I stand inside the door of a pub for the first time since March 2020. It had been shut to business due to Covid for 16 full months. I can hardly believe it’s been that long. Many a good foot-stomping,…
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Bee-loud glade
He: “We have visitors!” Me: Puzzled silence. “They’ve brought their luggage and moved in!” He continued quickly. Me: “Wow!” Penny dropping. “A swarm. Which box?” “They were very loud. It was like an airplane directly over my head.” He said excitedly ignoring my question. “I looked up and there was a massive amount of bees…
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Loose wire
As I pace up and down the pavement and I wonder if I too have a wire loose. Is there something wrong with the wiring of my brain that I became a hobbyist beekeeper? I would not even have consider getting a tow bar put on my trusty steed if I didn’t have beehives to…
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The rules don’t apply to me…
It’s not that I consciously thought this at the time of my minor infringement, that the rules don’t apply to me. I don’t know if anyone does when they breach the written or unwritten rules, guidelines, recommendations or good advice of life. The brain tries to protect us, we get this flash, a fleeting warning,…
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It’s not all about honeybees
So many have said to me that they would like to help the bees and some even want to take up beekeeping which, if you really think before you leap, is a bit daunting and expensive. It’s not all about honeybees you know. In fact, too may beehives in an area can dominate the eco…
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Summer seeps in
A fantastic display of white blossoming hawthorn is lining the roads and adorning the ditches between the fields. There is a heady smell from the blossoms. The sun is shining, there are blue skies and a few extra degrees of warmth which is waking up the countryside. The road margins are dancing with wild flowers;…