Apiguard

I also have MAQS, but they smell so strong I chickened out and went back to Apiguard

AFB in Wales

Gruffydd Rees says destroying his hive was one of the hardest things he's had to do

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-49365140

Wimbledon Honey

Found this very nice-looking site, https://www.wimbledonhoney.co.uk/ - these guys must be near me. The video includes a shot of the beekeeper wearing the world's dirtiest gloves.

Waspery in Jersey

https://jerseyeveningpost.com/news/2019/08/13/ramp-built-on-beach-to-access-asian-hornet-nest/

Buddleia and bumbles

Buddleia was brought to the UK around 1730 and now grows on almost every railway embankment in the country, much to the delight of butterflies and bees.

Bombus terrestris, at a guess

Cambridge Botanical Gardens

Cambridge Botanical Gardens

Roses are red, Lavender is [rather obviously not] blue

At Mayfield Lavender Farm, Banstead.. The place was heaving with honey and bumble bees - not that you can see them in this rotten video of mine. The bumbles were particularly big & beautiful.

Lavender is very obviously not blue.

Vespa crabro

In Greece I kept an eye out for Vespa velutina - none seen. Plenty of big, beautiful European hornets, Vespa crabro, though - they really are amazing beasties!

Pic from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:AD2009Aug08_Vespa_crabro_01.jpg

Vespa velutina

I found this on https://www.vespavelutina.co.uk/vespavelutinanews/amazing-video-showing-the-distinct-aggression-of-the-vespa-velutina-attacking-honey-bees

It's All Greek To Me

Hives spotted in Agios Panteleimonas

How much does a jar of honey cost?

In Kerkira Airport, duty-free, €3.80/120g, or €31.67 per kg - nice work if you can get it.

It's All Greek To Me (How much does a jar of honey cost?)

...and here is the beekeeper, selling honey at €8 for 0.5 kg. The honey tasted heavily of pine, or possibly thyme

It's All Greek To Me

A few shots from a local beekeeper's apiary in Corfu. It was about 35C in the shade.

How much does a jar of honey cost?

Selling at €10.00 for 500g in down-town Kerkyra, Greece

A swarm in July ain't worth a fly

Spa Hill Allotments

Corfu

Enormous swarm of bees causes 'panic' in Limerick

Why is 'panic' in inverted commas? Anyway, here's the enormous swarm: https://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/crazy-swarm-of-bees-in-limerick-captured-on-camera-1.3952725

I like this bit from the article: "It is understood two local beekeepers arrived soon afterwards to retrieve the bees which are becoming an endangered species across Europe."

Really?

I don't normally wear my hair this long. Pic from https://www.aier.org/article/anatomy-moral-panic

London Wildlife Trust: methinks it looks like a badger

Idling through the back passages of the internet, I came across https://www.wildlondon.org.uk/wildlife/species-explorer/animal/invertebrates/bees-and-wasps

The Heath Bumblebee looks *a lot* like a badger to me.

Where's Wally this summer?

Here: http://www.mrhoney.eu/content/aboutusEN

How much does a jar of honey cost?

A tidy £14.99 for 500g, or £13.61 per lb in old money.

https://theorienthoney.co.uk/shop/

Swarm Silly Season is back again

Killer bees

I think this article has been recycled more than Thames water: Those honeybees you’re so worried about? They’re killing off wild bee species

https://grist.org/article/those-honeybees-youre-so-worried-about-theyre-killing-off-wild-bee-species/

https://www.salon.com/2019/07/07/those-honeybees-youre-so-worried-about-theyre-killing-off-wild-bee-species_partner/

Swarmery

There are so many videos Out There it's a shame to pick just one juicy morsel...

Death in Paradise

Now I'm a huge fan of the US in general ... but something seems amiss:

https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/41532/20190621/us-beekeepers-lost-over-40-of-colonies-last-year-highest-winter-losses-ever-recorded.htm

https://edition.cnn.com/2019/07/08/us/honey-bee-colony-loss-trnd/index.html

Asian hornet

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/asian-hornet-identified-in-south-hampshire

How much does a jar of honey cost?

A cool £28/kg, or £13.08 for 1 lb

Weather swings, again

With Paris, France, sweltering in 40+C, the apiary in Wimbledon has finally made it to the low twenties.

And in other news...

Weather swings

The temp has lurched from 14C to 24C in just a couple of days, and the bees are bringing on queen cells like no tomorrow. I'm guessing that the wet weather preceding means that the flowers' nectaries are full, and the bees are going crazy. Here's that Pagden again:

Image from the very informative http://killowen.com/swarmcontrol.html

Bee Simulator

Rather obviously, I am one of the last people to discover the Bee Simulator game.

The name reminds me of Fee Waybill's remark about simulated Indian beaver fur: "They don't have beavers in India, so they have to simulate them."

Maybe that's it: I'm simulating being a beekeeper.

Rather you than me: Indian woman covers her face with hundreds of bees to raise conservation awareness

I realize I am a scaredy-cat, but you won't catch me doing this. Well, not deliberately.

If only my frames came out neatly labelled like this...

If I knew who made the photo, I'd give the credit!

Stings & Puns

I found this excellent piece on bee stings: http://basicbeekeeping.blogspot.com/2008/01/lesson-21-bee-stings.html, written by David & Sheri Burns of Long Lane Honey Bee Farms, Illinois.

And besides, there's a winning pun on the website:

Ex Machina & swarm control

I quite like this robo-beekeeper video, from Gary Hammond : https://youtu.be/BCReKLV6CB4

Gary's pretty handy with a guitar, too.

An Inspector Calls

Following a case of EFB at a near-by apiary, the Regional Bee Inspector called. He used a lateral flow device, very similar to a pregnancy test thingy, to check.... and the answer, thank goodness, was negative.

From https://www.filmbankmedia.com/films/archive/details/657-an-inspector-calls

Chambourcy Nouvelle, la Louvre et les abeilles!

Chambourcy Nouvelle! Une membre de WBKA avez spotted les abeilles á la Louvre!

https://fr.nuxe.com/protection-abeilles-nuxe-louvre

Urban beekeeping boom is harming native bees, entomologists say

Far more importantly, the Canadian councillor who worries is called Francesco Miele - or "Frank the Honey" to his beekeeping mates...

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/beekeeping-montreal-motion-native-species-1.5166091

Urban beekeeping is increasingly popular in Montreal, but the city's opposition party wants to control the practice in order to make room for native bee species. (John Minchillo/Associated Press)

One Thousand and One Uses for a Hive Tool

I wonder where "patio grouting" falls on the list?

Innovation courtesy my first (and so far only) wife

Go From Incompetent To Super Effective

The title of this podcast caught my eye: Go From Incompetent To Super Effective, based on Peter Drucker's 1967 book The Effective Executive

https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-8wjrm-b1b4cf

The heart of advertising is promise, large promise.
Claiming to be 'The Definitive Guide" is quite something, let alone the assertion that he, or anyone,
knows which are the "right" things... 

That's enough swarm photos. Ed.

How beautifully convenient....

Queenery

Here's a nice diagram (if it's yours, please let me know and I will gladly add the credit)

Coutts Skyline Garden

Coutts' Executive Chef Peter Fiori was kind enough to show wife & self around the Skyline Garden. Peter has transformed the bank's roof into a productive, ingenious and bee-friendly paradise.

There's a hive up there too (but I didn't see that, in my proud tradition of incompetence.)

Photo by Marianne Majerus. I was so bowled over by Peter and his garden I forgot to take pics!

I love stories like this: "Shoppers run from huge swarm of bees outside The Range in Plymouth"

Video and hysterical over-reporting here: 

https://www.plymouthherald.co.uk/news/plymouth-news/live-swarm-bees-range-plymouth-2931449

Video by Zoe Mathison

The Apiarist

Here's a nice blog: https://theapiarist.org/

The blog format doesn't do the content any favours; it would be better as a book.

Remember books? (Hyperlinks are great, but give me an Index any day.™)

Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of hyperlinks, who
(a) is not the author of "The Apiarist" and
(b) looks like the brother I don't have.

Astrobees

OK, not really bees, but fun, all the same.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/48381951

Buckfast

As you might expect, this Buckfast blog is well worth the reading time: https://www.buckfast.org.uk/bee-blog

And this Guardian article is worth a look, too:
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2015/feb/27/buckfast-drink-with-supernatural-powers-destruction

Ten Brilliant Beekeepers' Blogs

Naturally, Incompetent Beekeeper does not feature on the list of "Ten Brilliant Beekeepers' Blogs."

https://www.waltons.co.uk/blog/10-brilliant-beekeepers-blogs

Bastards.

(And there goes my chance of being included...)

McHive

It's heartwarming that after a few million years' evolution, this is what humans do.

How much does a jar of honey cost? Quanto costa un vasetto di miele?

In a long-running theme, here's another "How much does a jar of honey cost?" post. In Italy, it's €7.50 for 500g.

Picture from a WBKA member. No names, no pack-drill.

BBKA Basic

Another excellent course morning for the BBKA Basic at WBKA. It's astonishing how little I have learned in 15 years of beekeeping, and how many bad habits I have collected.

Don’t worry, bee happy: Bees found to have emotions and moods

From New Scientist:

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2107546-dont-worry-bee-happy-bees-found-to-have-emotions-and-moods/

imageBROKER/REX/Shutterstock from the New Scientist page

Time Out

In case you missed it... At £45 a go, that's pretty good money, honey.

Spotted by a WBKA member

Swarmy Hatfield

These bees chose a pavement, of all places, to land...

From https://www.whtimes.co.uk/news/bee-swarm-on-pavement-in-hatfield-1-6051789

And here's the video: https://www.whtimes.co.uk/news/bee-swarm-on-pavement-in-hatfield-1-6051789?jwsource=cl

Imperial Purple Part II

Watching swarms walk in ... wonderful!

From a WBKA member. I wonder where the silk comes from?
(Better check the curtains. Or the bedsheets.)

Imperial Purple Swarms ... and an Ali Baba surprise!

The imperial purple runway is quite special... and then wait to see what's under the lid!

Posted by a WBKA member. How cool!

The Swarmy Lincolnite

Nice collection of swarmy pics here: https://thelincolnite.co.uk/2019/05/bee-swarms-invade-lincoln-streets/

Pics from https://thelincolnite.co.uk/

I, Beebot

How about this: Can AI help stop bee extinction? (To save you reading the article, the short answer is 'Yes.')

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/money/other/can-ai-help-stop-bee-extinction/ar-AAAYaqD?srcref=rss

https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/i-robot

Egg, larva, pupa

I found this very nice chart at http://hwbka.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Bee-LifeCycle-Chart.pdf

And there's some nice blog stuff, too: https://hwbka.org.uk/just-as-you-feared-wasps-are-menacing-because-they-are-smarter-than-bees/

London Bee Corridor & the Brent Council Waggle Dance

The "London Bee Corridor" sounds too good to be true; it's certainly a snappy name. To point the bees the right way, I wonder if the Brent Councillors will indulge in a collective waggle-dance... They could sell tickets.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-48187846
and
https://www.brent.gov.uk/council-news/press-releases/pr6968/ 

Councillor Krupa Sheth (LB Brent) says the "bee corridor" will be ready by the summer

Before you start keeping bees

After keeping (and losing and killing and catching and nurturing) bees for nearly 15 years, I thought I'd have a crack at the BBKA Basic Assessment.

Pic from https://www.thespruce.com/beginners-guide-to-beekeeping-3016857 
The clue's in the name