Copy of an article from The Press and Journal, 5 May 2019, by Ellie House
[Visit the P&J link to watch the video.]
You would be forgiven for flinching a little at the thought of getting stung, but if you leave a bee to go about her business, the chances are, she’ll give you a wide berth in return.
This is the philosophy of Naomi Adams, who can spend hours tending to an apiary in Crathes each week.
Continue reading “A hive of activity: Why there’s a buzz around beekeeping”
By Ian Mackley
After last month’s report on the Queen Rearing course [see the June 2018 Newsletter, page 3], I seem to be at risk of becoming ADBKA’s special correspondent on queen rearing. Of course, like many journalists, I can write about a subject but am so far much less adept at actually doing it!
Well over 20 ADBKA members enjoyed glorious weather as we visited one of Murray McGregor’s queen rearing apiaries at his home near Coupar Angus. Murray owns and runs Scotland’s largest commercial beekeeping operation – Denrosa – and has an extensive queen rearing programme to support his 3,000 production hives.
Continue reading “Visit to Denrosa Apiaries”
[This is the first of a series of articles based on interviews by Lindsey Macaulay and Olya Kurasova with Murray McGregor.]
My season starts in September when all my colonies are at the heather moors of Scotland waiting for us to harvest the honey crop.
The first thing we do is remove the bees from the honey crop within the hive. We do this by using a New Zealand type clearing board which normally clears all the bees in a matter of hours and, in my opinion, offers several advantages over the alternatives. See Note 1.
Continue reading “Murray McGregor – My Beekeeping Year, September – November”
Often neglected IPM Strategies against Varroa
By Dr. Ewan Campbell
The mantra of pest control in any livestock / cultivated crop or invasive species is integrated pest management (IPM). It is a holistic approach that draws on a range of different control methods to keep the numbers of a pest at a minimum. We, as beekeepers should be well aware of IPM when considering how to manage that most persistent of bee pests, the Varroa mite.
Continue reading “The Foot of the Pyramid”