thehorsleybeeLuke helped me to choose some new candle moulds at the National Honey Show this year. I am really pleased with the way that they have turned out, and I hope that you are too. Luke is very proud of his choices.
They don’t use as much wax as some of my moulds, so they are priced accordingly.
Last month I spent a happy couple of days at the National Honey Show. They always have an amazing display of different types of honey, honey and wax products, stalls and lectures.
I was lucky enough to attend 2 workshops. One on candle making with Ceila and David Rudland of East Surrey Bees, where I found out where I had been going wrong with my candle making…. I had been too impatient. I am really pleased with the wax that I have just filtered. I have also got some new candle moulds to add to the collection.
I also attended a workshop by Dr Paul Vagg of BeeNaturals on making Natural Beeswax Polish. This was really fun and something that I am now trying at home. I have made my first batch and it is now out with testers for feedback.
The National Honey Show will be back again next year on 27-29 October at Sandown Park. Well worth a visit.
No spring honey this year due to the really wet weather in May. Normally, we would have harvested some spring honey at the end of May. Due to the constant rain, the bees were unable to get out to forage and ate all of their stores. We were even feeding them sugar syrup to keep them alive. We have very little honey left from last season, only small 113g (4oz) jars. Fingers crossed that the weather improves so that the bees can get out foraging again.
So, my bees have been having fun in April. They are lucky enough to be based in an orchard. This means that they have lots of early nectar and pollen close by and the colonies have been building up really well.
No matter how hard I try to give the bees enough space, I do find that a couple of hives will start swarm preparations. This means swarm control is necessary to stop a swarm emerging from the hive, loss of 70% of the bees with the swarm, and the loss of a potential spring honey crop.
So swarm control has been practiced on a few hives, increasing my total numbers, and hopefully enabling me to get a spring (late May) honey crop. Of course, one of the hives that I needed to practice swarm control on, are the slightly feisty hive with an unmarked queen. With lots of perseverance, the queen was found, and is now marked to make this procedure easier in the future. I don’t like to keep feisty bees, so this queen will be replaced with a better natured queen later in the year.
I always try really hard to prepare for spring in the apiary during the winter by making up lots of frames in advance and having it all ready. Of course, the bees are always one step ahead, and so, I am playing catch up. I didn’t expect that one of my hives would have 4 supers (where we collect the honey) on in April just to give them enough space. Beekeeping certainly keeps me on my toes.
Whilst out for a walk at the weekend, I noticed a hazel starting to show catkins ready to be harvested for pollen. Bees require pollen for protein. The protein is used to prepare the colony for rearing brood (baby bees) for the spring and summer.
I took up beekeeping as I was fascinated by bees and was lucky enough to attend a talk by Epsom Beekeepers at West Horsley WI. I signed up for a theory course with my Mum and was ‘stung’ by the beekeeping bug.
One of the benefits that I find with beekeeping is that I am unable to think of anything else whilst I am beekeeping. Bees also don’t like quick movements, so it forces me to slow down. I generally find beekeeping relaxing, however, the bees do like to keep me on my toes and make sure that I keep thinking. Bees are fascinating to watch and I can happily spend 30 minutes or so just watching them flying in and out of the hive.
As well as finding beekeeping good for my mental health, I also have the benefits of yummy honey and beeswax to make into candles, polish and beeswax wraps etc. Beekeeping is rather addictive and it is very easy to go from 1 hive to 10! My beekeeping is an enjoyable hobby, which has grown. I now have more honey than we can eat as a family, so I sell some locally.
If you haven’t tried local honey, do try it. It is really different to ‘main brand’ honey. Each batch tastes different, as the flavour depends on what flowers the bees are visiting.
A very interesting talk from Dr Etienne Bruneau at #NationalHoneyShow. He reported that imported honey from China to the UK may contain as much as 70% syrup, leaving only 30% as honey. The Chinese also extract immature honey which requires processing to reduce the water content. This is partially due to the migratory nature of their beekeeping. A Chinese beekeeper will travel between 1500 and 2000km in a year to gain as many honey harvests as possible. The Chinese honey is imported to the UK at approx £1 per kg and at up to 70% sugar syrup this may explain some of the difference in price between supermarket and local honey. If local beekeepers charged for the amount of time we spend in order to get a honey harvest and extract the honey, no one would be able to afford it.
One thing is clear. If you want local honey, buy from your local beekeeper. 