Books and Magazines

Queen Clipping

apiarymanager Books and Magazines, Education & Training, Swarms and Swarming, Training

An interesting article in The Apiarist, regarding queen clipping.

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Bee Friendly

apiarymanager Bee Health, Books and Magazines, Education & Training, Environment, Feeding Bees and Starvation, Stories of Interest

A brand new booklet to planting for pollinators has been released and it is brimful of great ideas and top tips.

Botanic Garden’s science team has provided expert advice for a booklet detailing some of the top plants for pollinators to guide growers on what to plant throughout the year.

There are also tips on grass cutting, containers, growing from seed, from cuttings, and advice on making new plants using techniques such as layering and division.

You can find out more about the Bee Friendly scheme and download a booklet here:  https://www.biodiversitywales.org.uk/Bee-Friendly

For hard copies please e-mail: NatureConservation@gov.wales

The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney

apiarymanager Books and Magazines, Starting Beekeeping

Episode 1 of this series was shown on BBC4 on 14th April, 2014 and is available on the BBC iPlayer until 8th May.  If you have a slow connection I suggest you download the programme and watch later.

Martha Kearney
Martha Kearney

The programme description below is (from the iPlayer website).

“Martha Kearney’s year gets off to a bad start when unseasonal snow in spring threatens to kill the bee colonies she keeps in her garden in Suffolk. With help from a master beekeeper Martha feeds her bees and takes one of the hives to a wildflower meadow at a neighbour’s house along with two brand new hives.
She discovers the intricate hierarchy within the bee colony and learns how the organisation of the hive has become a metaphor for human society. At a London school she learns the secrets of urban bees’ success even while bees in the country as a whole are in decline. The episode ends with three new hives established on a wildflower meadow, ready to start producing classic British wildflower honey.”

Some excellent photography includes film of a queen laying eggs.  Martha Kearney has as her mentor a master beekeeper and together they provides a good commentary of progress within the hive.

Well worth watching.

The Wonder of Bees with Martha Kearney – Episode 1