Exclusive Advice with Beekeeper Kasper

Check for varroa

As your colony has expanded the number of mites will have also increased.  The Bee Gym or Bee Gym Slim allows the bees to groom mites off themselves.  Some beekeepers will also dust with icing sugar.  A mesh varroa floor, with the tray removed is important to stop the mites crawling back into the hive.

Swarm Control

Now the weather has improved (and provided you are not in an area with a June gap), your colony will be rapidly expanding and pulling in the nectar.  Giving bees extra room for brood and honey will help to prevent swarming by not constricting the colony.  Regularly check your hive for swarm cells.

We have everything you need to be ready for swarms, including swarm wipes, skeps, brood chambers and nuc boxes.

Splitting colony

If you find queen cells you may want to take this opportunity to split your colony.  It is up to you to either leave the queen cells and hope they will get mated, or to buy in a new queen.

Food stores

It the weather takes a turn for the worse again, ensure your colony has plenty of food stores.  You may need to remove the supers and add feed.  If you feel this will constrict the colony too much add a second brood chamber.  The extra drawn out brood frames will always come in useful.

We have a wide range of feed and feeders available on our website. Including our 14kg jerry can of Apimix syrup, Candipolline Gold and Ambrosia.

Bait Hive

It is still not too late to put out bait hives/nuc boxes.  “A swarm in June is worth a silver spoon”

How to Mark a Queen Bee: New Tutorial Video

Kasper demonstrates how to easily mark a queen bee using a press in marking cage with metal pins, a plastic marking cage, a plunger marking cage, and queen marking pens.

We have everything you need to mark your queens on our website.

Honey Recipes by Gill Meller

Chef and award-winning food writer Gill Meller shares his latest honey recipe! Impress your friends by serving these honey-roasted seeds with chilli, thyme & rosemary on top of salads or as an appetizer.

Honey-roast seeds with chilli, thyme & rosemary

How can I argue with honey? It is pure to the point of perfection. A million things with wings have made it. Honey, in all its guises, will always amaze me; it has to be one of my most treasured ingredients. In this recipe it brings sweetness, depth and character to the mixed, toasted seeds. Serve the result with drinks before dinner, in packed lunches, scattered over salads, or as a simple snack on the go.
Servings: 2 Jars
Author: Gill Meller

Ingredients

  • 100g (3½oz) pumpkin seeds
  • 50g (1¾oz) linseeds
  • 50g (1¾oz) sunflower seeds
  • 25g (1oz) sesame seeds
  • 4–6 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked
  • 1-2 teaspoons chilli flakes
  • 2 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons runny honey

Instructions

  • Heat the oven to 170°C/325°F/gas mark 3. Place all the seeds in a bowl. Tear over the rosemary leaves, add the chilli flakes and tamari or soy sauce and toss everything together well.
  • Spread the seed mixture out over a large, flat baking tray. Drizzle over the honey as evenly as you can, then place the tray in the oven. Bake, turning with a spatula 2 or 3 times, for 12–15 minutes, until fragrant and looking toasty.
  • Remove the tray from the oven and allow to cool, again turning the seed mixture several times during cooling. The seeds should cluster up a little as they are turned.
  • Serve straight away, or cool thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container for 2–3 months.

WIN a Nucleus Box for B.S. Frames

We’re very happy to say Mr Hughes from Hampshire won our last monthly beekeeping competition!

Our next beekeeping quiz question is here, and this time you have the chance to win a Nucleus Box for B.S. Frames – worth over £50.95!

ANSWER HERE

All you need to do is answer via our survey, and all correct answers will be entered to a prize draw. The draw closes 28th June – Good Luck!

Before you enter, please read the full terms and conditions.