January

This month has been busier than a usual January as we are having a move around in our apiary! Instead of having the dog leg in the setup of our lake’s apiary, we are setting the hives up in a line. The ground has had to be cleared and the slabs moved over in a straight line (almost!). You can see from the photos that this has been a bit of an undertaking, although we haven’t had to load them on and off vehicles because they’ve not gone far and for that, we are thankful!

After the ground had been cleared and the slabs moved, we strapped all the hives up to stop them coming apart when moving them. We used ratchet straps as we find these the easiest and most secure.

As we were moving them such a short distance, once they were all strapped up, we waited for a few cold days to move the bees so that they wouldn’t become disorientated if they left the hive. In fact, it was so chilly the morning we moved them that we didn’t even have to block the entrances which made the work load a little lighter, metaphorically speaking!

The existing laurel hedge is going to be uprooted and planted behind the hives that we have moved, to create a long straight hedge.

Aside from the move, we have seen plenty of pollen going into the hives, which we presume is hazel pollen from the catkins that are in abundance here. This is a great sign to see this early in the year and always gives us hope that the bees are coming along nicely. We also fed the bees a little of the Hive Alive fondant, just to keep them going through the cold spells, until they can get out of the hive to forage properly.

For next month, we always look forward to seeing the bees out and about on the crocuses, but it is also the last month of the real ‘quiet time’ in the beekeeping year! So, we will be getting ready for the approach of the active season, with a bit of apprehension but excitement too.