Episode 102: Keep Feeding

Beekeeping - Short and Sweet

Hi I’m Stewart Spinks and welcome to Episode 102 of my podcast Beekeeping Short and sweet. The weather has been fairly constant this past week and I had a message from one of our contacts saying their Oilseed rape is nearly ready for the bees. It’s time to get set up for the new season but don’t be in too much of a rush to open your bees, it’s still cold out there!
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I’m grateful to Honey Paw hives for sponsoring in part our podcasts for this season. Honey Paw hives are, as I’m sure you’re aware, Poly Langstroth hives and we’re setting up an apiary full of their hives this season courtesy of Honey Paw.

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Well, I never did get to BeeTradex and I’m kind of glad I chose not to go, it seems like it was a good event despite the reduced attendance, but I guess a lot of beekeepers took the same decision I did in staying away. We’ve now been told that the second major event of the year has been cancelled, that’s the BBKA Spring Convention in April and is usually a really good weekend with lots of talks and lectures, hands-on sessions and of course the Trade Show. Lots of suppliers now seem to be offering show discounts online so if you have pre-ordered or were thinking of buying some new kit check out the retailer of choice and see what they are offering. There’s always bargains to be had and I’m sure they will want to mitigate their losses by offering some really good deals online. Sign up for newsletters and special offers to make sure you get notified, although I don’t think any of them are selling toilet paper!

Not going to the Trade Show meant I had time to get a few more plans sorted, I love lists, you can never have too many lists, jobs that need to be done, kit to move, bees to check.

We spent Saturday scraping and washing queen excluders, it’s another task on the IPM or Integrated Pest Management plan that we have. Keeping kit nice and clean makes it easier to use and reduces the risk of spreading pests and diseases to the bees.

Cleaning queen excluders can be a bit of a chore but once done they clean up well and it also helps extend the life of them too. In previous years I’ve shaped and scorched, the technique involves scraping off all the wax and as much propolis as possible and then using a blow torch to bubble up the remaining propolis to kill anything that might be lurking in it. This year I wanted to try using the oil drum to boil them clean and it worked really well. The key once again is keeping the water at near boiling point and adding a decent amount of washing soda and washing up liquid. It has the effect of dissolving the propolis and they clean really quickly.

My main job right now, making sure bees have enough supplementary feed to get them through the cooler weather until there are again enough bees to cover the brood area and keep all of the larvae warm and healthy. They will be in prime condition to be taken to the oilseed rape and that looks like it will happen sometime next week which is really early for us. I’ve just recorded a couple of videos showing both the oilseed rape field and the new apiary site for the Honey Paw hives series of videos so do catch up with both of those.

I hope you’re all keeping safe and healthy wherever you are and looking forward to getting out into the fresh air and starting the new beekeeping season. Remember for those of you who haven’t yet entered the competition draw, there’s still time. Head over to my Podcast page on my website where you can check out the details for entry.

Have a great beekeeping w

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