Rain, rain, go away…

…Come again another day – maybe overnight during the inevitable heatwave in July, please?! We’ve had quite enough of this wet and cold start to the year, thank you. During the winter months our primary concern is how we can best protect our bees, with insulation and ventilation being of supreme importance. Damp is actually a worse problem to have than cold, as mould and bacteria can thrive and lead to colony health issues. Hives can become damp when condensation forms due to the humidity caused by the bees’ breath meeting cold surfaces (e.g. the underside of the crown-board). It’s astonishing to learn that a colony of bees can produce up to 26 litres of water over the course of the winter months! Even though bees are experts at controlling the temperature of the colony, beekeepers might need to take measures to help provide a healthy environment.

Catch One, Prevent Thousands

Even though it may seem early to be thinking about protecting our bees against Asian Hornets, we’ve

learned over the years that being prepared is (almost) everything. As the daylight hours lengthen and the temperatures hopefully rise, we’ll be on the lookout for emerging Asian hornet queens. 

Microscopes and Melissopalynology... what does a pollen grain look like?

Before ‘hayfever season’ begins, and while there is still frost on the ground, let’s talk about pollen. Pollen is a key component of bees’ lives, so we find it an interesting topic to research. It’s often seen
on the legs of our foraging bees, and our cats who come in from the garden in the spring and
summer with a fine dusting of it on their fur. Plus, of course, anyone sensitive to it will begin to
sneeze and/or get itchy eyes.

Pollen is vital to our world; every year thousands of different species of plants produce millions of
pollen grains. These are designed to be specifically distributed to reach their female counterparts
and so help proliferate the species. Thanks to Robert Hooke who invented the compound
microscope at the end of the 17 th century, the true nature of pollen was seen for the first time, and
instead of it simply being a fine dust, the grains could be individually identified.