Apiary Diary

Univ Orchard The heat is on – Far more bees? The plot thickens – College colonies The heat is on Bee sips nectar in Oxford Botanic Gardens Another busy year managing our apiaries at six locations: two in West Oxford (at our base and nearby allotments), one at Hogacre Common, two at University College (in Central and North Oxford), and one at Farmoor, just outside Oxford. The extraordinarily hot summer seemed as if it would never end. It can feel at least 10 degrees hotter in

A busy year – Talking about bees New apiaries: Hogacre Common & University College A busy year Much has happened this year, and we...

Earlier in the year – Swarm activity – Community engagement and Blenheim Palace Developments earlier in the year It was a difficult...

September activities – Beautiful beeswax – Beeswax in the hive – Uses for beeswax – Beeswax vs. soy and paraffin – Processing beeswax –...

August activities – Top bar hives explained: Hive construction - Colony organisation – Hive management - Honey extraction – Finding out...

The season’s first honey – How bees make honey – Honey varieties – How we harvest our honey naturally - Keeping it local – A ban on chemical sprays for gardens and public spaces? First honey in July 2021 - well worth the long wait! First honey harvest of the season! Foraging among wildflowers in Botley Meadow Allotments In early July we harvested a small amount of honey (the excess that bees produce)—our first this season. As promised, we emailed our ‘honey alerts’ to our s

Managing new split colonies - June swarm collections - An unusual bee rescue - Callouts and conversions - Bee identification - Verge...

Spring slow to arrive - ‘No Mow May’ campaign Time to divide hives - The season’s first swarm collection Spring slow to arrive After a...

The apiary in April - strange weather, and preparing for the swarm season

Surviving winter floods and ‘robbing’ - New Top Bar Hive - Hive observations Surviving winter floods and ‘robbing’ Happily, all the...