Archive For The “pest management” Category
September has arrived, bringing the cooler weather of autumn, and fewer flower blooms (meaning less nectar and pollen). Thankfully England does a great autumn, with those lush green broad leaved London plane trees, Horse chestnuts, and lime trees putting on a fantastic show of colour. August is the usual time to harvest honey at the […]
Today most likely marks the coldest Winter in 50 years, with snow falling in London (and the rest of the UK) in the last weekend of March – one week before British Summer time starts. HA! I say likely, because we dont yet know officially how cold it will get. I suspect this weekend may break […]
Bees visit flowering crops to collect nectar and pollen, to feed and sustain the colony. Unfortunately, this isn’t all they collect. Agriculturalists understandably like to protect their crops from insects, and so spray with pesticides, insecticides and/or herbicides. These pesticides and insecticides don’t distinguish between “good” insects, and “bad” insects. What is a pest, or a […]
This weekend, I managed to get more organised – it’s my responsibility to the colony. While there is a very positive low varroa count, and the population of bees look healthy, I felt a need to not do half measures in my management. I got a treatment of oxalic acid delivered, and thankfully there was […]
Now mid-November, the majority of hive preparation should be complete. The days are cooler, darker, windier, and wetter – the opposite of the beehive favourite. During autumn and winter, the bees stay inside the warm & dry hive, with their honey stores, and wait out the cooler weather. Mice too, would like a warm and […]