Che Guebee Apiary: Log hive and the flowering Spring

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Log hive and the flowering Spring

I've got a hollow log last year from a man who builds drums. He planned to build a bass drum out of this log but as he said it seems as it was waiting for me to get it since he had it for 2 years and never got around to turn it into a bass drum :)
I dont know if Im going to keep bees in it this year but will place it outdoors and hope for a swarm to move in.

I placed the hive on a huge flat rock and placed another one on top of the log to keep the rain out

Onion plants are the first one to flower in Spring

This photo was taken last week. The Hazel flowers have started to wither and I am worried that we will not have many hazel nuts this year because I havent see not even one Bee on them and I have looked and looked and looked ... I think the weather was still too cold for the bees yet Hazel was the first to bloom this Spring. Lets hope Im wrong.

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Patrick SellmanApril 23, 2013 at 10:08 AM
Today I´ve read a very interesting article about daffodil.

It is very important for bees because its still cold outside then it flowers and it could be up to 15 degreas warmer inside the flower so its warm the bees then they get the pollen. They flower for a long time as well.

I´ve hundreds of them in my garden :-) Soon there will be thousands of them.

I´ve heatd that they are a repelant for voles as well so I have them around the fruitttrees in my garden.
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What is Natural Beekeeping?

"Natural Beekeeping" is a concept, an idea which springs from a human mind and as such will differ from one person to another, from one culture to another, depending on our limited and conditioned perception about what it IS being a Honeybee. Since natural beekeeping is an idea and not the actuality it is not to be taken rigidly. Instead it is to be directly inspired by the Actuality. But let's avoid going too philosophical about it and let me simply describe how I see "natural beekeeping" benefiting honeybees (these are only guidelines not a dogma);

- free wax comb construction resulting in clean wax and various cell size

- bees overwinter on their own honey stores (feeding sugar syrup ONLY if absolutely necessary)

- lots of peace (low interference from the beekeepers part)

- treatment free (The only way to have a sustainable system of beekeeping is to stop treating, instead making splits from survivor colonies seems the most natural way to me)

- bees are allowed to raise as many Drones as needed (no drone culling)

- natural Queen selection resulting in the strongest Queen (no queen cell culling and only working with local Queens or my own)

- pesticide free bee zone and supporting organic farming (this is a global issue and must be dealt with locally first through environmental organisations and by buying and growing organic food/clothing, etc ...)

- expanding my apiary every year by making splits using Queen Cells from my own strong survivor colonies or catching local swarms. This is the best way to counteract winter losses.

- planting for the bees flowering trees, bushes and plants covering all seasons. Biodiversity is the best healer for the bees and all other creatures.

Natural Beekeeping

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Log hive and the flowering Spring

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Catching my very first Prime Swarm