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At last!! After a year of planning, proposal writing (thanks, Awards for All!), sorting unsuspected planning permission issues and procrastinating, we're on our way!

The East of Scotland Beekeepers' Association apiary had its first concrete (no, gravel) act yesterday. Yesterday we took delivery of two tons of the stuff to make a shed base and standing areas for hives, and today four strapping local beekeepers will descend with spades to adjust the landscape at the site.
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'Excuse me!', said bee and beekeeper simultaneously as they narrowly avoided a collision. The beekeeper had decided to check round the hive entrances to see that all was well now that the air was warm enough to encourage hive-work and she wanted to see that the bees were in good enough heart to throw out some of the accumulated floor debris.

The wee bee, a bit breathless – both with the effort of flying after a long time in the cluster, and with the excitement of any young creature ...

An acquaintance had a swarm of bees arrive in her chimney last summer. She has a neighbour who keeps bees but he insisted they were not his! Her bungalow has a fairly high chimney but she offered to pay for scaffolding if anyone wanted to try to retrieve the bees. I mentioned around but there were no takers! I suggested that if she wait until the colder weather when the bees were clustering, put a petrol-soaked rag into the top of the chimney and seal it up that might do the trick. Today ...

On Sunday I saw the bees for the first time since the oxalic acid treatment just after Christmas. At that time all were alive, but the small colony in the garden was particularly weak. By Sunday my losses were two out of eight, that small one and one other. The other was in an old wooden nucleus box which couldn't take the polystyrene overhead insulation of those in full boxes, so had sheets tied round the outside instead. I suspect that if I'd left the others uninsulated, like last winter, ...

Just like to put a few thoughts on the passing of Jim Bogle 21.01.11 Master beekeeper which was a bit of a shock to the beekeepers, attended his heather honey picnic in late August September 2010 a real inspiration to the novice he inspired confidence and knowledge into the newbies and to the more knowledgeable To the beekeeping world a big miss. I admired his hives and his knowledge and mindfulness of the bees he will be missed, a big loss to the beekeeping world