A Beekeeper’s Diary Podcast
I am a hobby beekeeper with a couple of hives in Hertfordshire, UK. A lovely couple let my wife and I place our hives in some farmland beside their house. This is a short, gentle, podcast check in from beside my hives. Follow along with our beekeeping season as it happens.
Ep 34: Winter update, all seems good!
Welcome back, I had a few fun edits to start the podcast but have managed to hide them on the cutting room floor somehow. Quick winter update, stores are good, no condensation on the top of the bees, all seems ok. Fingers crossed.
Ep 33: Winter bonnet is live.
End of October visit. Feeders all empty and removed. Celotex bonnet on top with metal roof. Bees looking good, nice big colony.
Ep 32: Windy autumnal episode. Nearly there for winter.
A windy day in the apiary yesterday. Feeding is done for now, battening down the hatches for the long winter. The bees were still bringing pollen in, braving the rain and wind.
Ep 31: The smell of Ivy, final top up of syrup, and an unexpected drive by.
Get in touch! A chat from in my car as it was raining and the nearby gardener was giving it some welly with the leaf blower. Includes the smell of Ivy from the bees latest foraging, beehive remodelling and an equestrian drive by.
Ep 30: Stealthy pigeons, 5 litres of syrup and autumnal feels.
Today marks the end of the varroa treatment time period, so I took out the strips. Only remembered after topping up the feeder so it was harder than necessary! A wood pigeon was stamping around beside me as I must have been in stealth mode or he was sneaking up on me very badly.
Ep 29: Stung! More feeding and quick hive health check.
Hi all, this is a whistle stop visit to top up the feeders, check varroa drop, wasp activity and overall hive health. Stung by a grumpy sky raisin.
Ep 28: Six foot dragonflies, winter feeding continues and hive returns to tranquility.
The late summer sunshine glows upon me as I talk about commencing winter feeding, hefting the hive, checking all is ok with the Queen and some observations about the surrounding natural history at this time of year.
Ep 27: Helicopter sound effects. Feeding paused. Varroa treatment week 2 checks.
A wonderful late summer visit to the bees. Local Helicopter pilots make themselves known as I talk over the days activities. Feeding will be paused to leave space for the winter bees to be created. Don't want to fill all the space with food just yet. Varroa treatment will continue.
Ep 26: As the flowers fade, managing hives through late Summer
The golden haze of late summer transforms the apiary landscape into a sea of beige, punctuated only by the occasional cowslip, ragwort, and thistle. Standing here on August 17th, the silence is almost deafening – a stark contrast to the vibrant buzz of high summer just weeks ago. This pivotal moment...
Ep 25: Taking honey, varroa treatment starts. Winter prep begins.
Today I talk about taking off a couple of supers, one for me and one left for the bees. Varroa treatment starts today, 6-8 weeks to go. Hive is now reconfigured for winter. One super under the brood box, ready to move back on top in the spring.