With temperatures barely rising to double digits it is a sure sign winter is coming. The 2018/19 bee season is ending here in the southern hemisphere. So what happens now?
Continue reading “Winter is coming (2019)”Winter is coming (2019)
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8 Frame Honey now offer a beeswax rendering service
Are you a hobby beekeeper living near Canberra? Do you have a pile of wax cappings you aren’t sure what to do with? 8 Frame Honey now offer a beeswax rendering service. We use a specifically designed 20L wax melter to melt beeswax cappings to produce clean wax ready for use in candles, salves, balms, soaps or any products you add your beeswax too.
Continue reading “8 Frame Honey now offer a beeswax rendering service”Julie Armstrong of ACT for bees is trying to reduce the use of pesticides containing neonicotinoids in Canberra. She also wants more native plants added to urban landscape projects.
Canberra public is “behind” on the issue, ACT for Bees says
An article by Finbar O’Mallon on 12/4/19.
Instead of using nasty chemicals such as glysophate (a harmful and active ingredient in Round-Up) to kill weeds opt for boiling water.
Moving the apiary
Today I look back at how we moved the apiary from our old house to our current home and what we would do differently next time. If you are going to move your hive/s in the future hopefully you can learn from my mistakes. I consider our business a micro-beekeeping company that focuses on quality over quantity and our move involved just 12 hives. We had 11 langstroth hives and 1 top bar hive with colonies plus several empty hives to move.
Continue reading “Moving the apiary”Check your hives regularly!
Today’s article is a timely reminder to check your hives regularly – even when it’s over 35 degrees Celsius outside for 4 weeks in a row. Stick to your calendar of when to check and find a way to get it done or your procrastinating and the bees could make life hard.
Unfortunately I work my hives alone more often than not. As such, I have no photos of this experience but for any beekeeper out there, I’m sure you can imagine the kind of sticky situation I got myself into.
Continue reading “Check your hives regularly!”How to build a Langstroth hive stand
Beekeeping can be tough on your back. Lifting a super full of honey that weighs 30kg or more is not easy. Bending down to lift it is even harder! This article is a step-by-step guide on how to build a hive stand that comfortably fits two Langstroth hives on it.
Continue reading “How to build a Langstroth hive stand”Happy new year!
Happy new year everyone! We have a few exciting changes coming in 2019.
Drought and bees
Eastern Australia is experiencing another drought. Droughts are normal and are becoming more frequent. This drought is one of the worst in several decades. 100% of New South Wales has been declared in a drought. Many farmers struggle through droughts, doing whatever it takes to survive until the rains come. Lots of awareness is raised about livestock and produce farmers. The obvious farmers running sheep, cattle, grain and vegetable farms. These make news headlines because farms that were once green pastures are now brown dustbowls. Such images invoke emotion and sell news. Beekeepers are farmers too. Beekeepers raise bees to produce food (honey), bees (for pollination and to sell to hobby beekeepers) and to sell the raw materials bees produce (wax and propolis). We are also hard hit by droughts. This article looks at how the drought affects beekeepers.
Bee Friendly Gardens – Lavender
Lavender is a wonderful, hardy plant. It is an evergreen shrub that produces vibrant purple, off-white, violet or pink flowers depending on the variety. Lavender is very aromatic and brushing the leaves produces strong, fragrant scent. Lavender flowers are a magnet for bees. Lavender can compliment other plants in a garden or be planted in a pot when you don’t have much room. It can also be planted in rows to create an informal hedge along a driveway or garden path.