Sallygardens Smallholding

Sallygardens eBooklet Store

At long last I've managed to create a Paypal store which will make it easier for you to purchase our Sallygardens eBooklets. Instead of having to email me first to request a Paypal invoice you can place a direct order via this store front. Of course you can still use the old way, this alternative just provides another easier option . Look to the right hand side bar to find the store. Come on in and have a look around.

A Natural Handmade Gift For You

A bar of healing beeswax skin balm is on offer to one lucky reader as a way to say 'thank you' for your continued support.

So why beeswax? Everything about it is amazing. When taken direct from the hive its healing properties are most potent, unlike the beeswax found in many products which has been heated, strained and depleted of the many components that are beneficial. The wax is an emolient (hydrating), calms inflamed skin, forms a protective barrier, acts as an antibacterial agent, it's antiallergic, antioxidant, antibactericidal, germicidal, skin softening and has elasticity enhancing properties.  Bees secrete it from wax glands on their bodies and chew it before sculpting it into perfectly shaped honeycomb. It may also contain remnants of pollen and propolis (plant resins that the bees use to strengthen the comb).

Well we can read as much as we like about the various attributes of beeswax but there's nothing like trying out the real thing. Dan and I work long hours outside in all sorts of weather and this takes its toll on our hands. We've tried all sorts of creams but nothing has worked as well as our own home-made beeswax skin balm. I've even started using it on my cheeks and it works wonders to keep them moisturised in winter winds. It contains comb scraped direct from my hives which is gently melted, then mixed with avocado, olive and chamomile essential oils. It's  then poured into a mould to cool. Because the beeswax is very much a limited resource I only have enough to make a handfull of these balms but I've kept one aside to offer as a gift to my readers. Just leave a comment below this post and in a weeks time I'll pick a winner. Anyone may enter from anywhere in the world (only readers from Mars are excluded). Good luck everyone.

Spring Cleaning the Beehives

There are signs of life from the beehives on sunny days and as honey season approaches it's time to get prepared. It's important to clean any hive parts to prevent the spread of any diseases that might be lurking in the build up of the previous years wax and propolis. Large scale beekeepers sterilise hive parts by dunking them in baths of caustic soda solution. I only have two hives so I use a blowtorch to clean boxes, roofs and floors. Once the weather warms up I'll be swapping the cleaned parts into the hives, then I can clean up the parts I've replaced ready to expand with new colonies in fresh hives.

I've also been making up new frames of foundation. Sheets of beeswax can be bought with a hexagonal imprint. This is slotted into a wooden frame (Beansprouts clearly describes how). When the frame is put in the hive the bees begin building up cells happily using the imprint provided. This means that the bees very conveniently store their honey in the frames rather than building unmanageable wild combs in haphazard directions all over the inside of the hive (as they do in the wild). The frames can be easily lifted in and out for inspection and harvesting.  On this frame of foundation you can see a wire embedded in it. This adds strength, preventing the wax from collapsing under the combined weight of wax and honey in the hive, and especially during spinning of combs in the honey extractor at harvesting time.

Once the bees have drawn out the foundation into cells the frame can be used again and again. In these modern times of bee disease management frames are generally changed every three years, but in previous generations beekeepers often used the same blackened comb for decades.  When the wax is first drawn its almost pure white, but as the years pass by the wax darkens with age from bee traffic. This is a frame of drawn comb in its first year.

Making up new frames of foundation in front of a winter fire is a delight. Tapping away and enjoying the delicious aroma of beeswax makes it one of those jobs that's a real pleasure.

Fair Weather Bees

Although its February and theres no flowers with nectar to offer, the bees nevertheless venture out on the warmer sunny days. They take cleansing flights, which means they relieve themselves mid flight rather than soil their hive. When the sun shines and temperatures begin to climb, I look forward to hearing a familiar buzzing noise.

This week I ventured down to the hives in the field and sat beside the hive entrance to observe. Theres a lot you can learn about whats going on with a colony just by watching, without the need to open the hive.  Its important to approach a hive from its rear, or side, as designated guard bees keep patrol around the entrance and being spotted would not be a clever move.  Its a very relaxing place to be, sitting beside a hive (honestly!).  Its comparable to the delight of watching hens cluck around the garden, the pigs digs the soil or the goats climbing on their shelter. While sitting next to the hive I saw something very exciting ... some of the bees were bringing in full pollen baskets. Thats a sign that the Queen may have started laying again, or perhaps the bees are topping up their store in anticipation of new eggs.  Pollen is a rich source of protein, vitamins and trace elements. Its what the bee larvae are fed.

Willow is one of the earliest pollen producers so I ventured further down the field and sure enough it is already showing its velvet buds (pussy willow). Each plant type has a different colour pollen and its possible to tell what species the bees are working by looking at the colour of pollen in their baskets. It ranges from light browns, through yellows, oranges, greens and even blues. For once I remembered to bring my camera to the hive ... you can see the pollen on the back leg.

I mentioned earlier that there are no flowers producing nectar this time of year, but there are indeed some flowers in bloom, and like the willow, these are producing pollen.  Its wonderful to see the honey bees flying around the garden and it doesn't take long for them to seek out the snowdrops, crocus and narcissus flowers.

Bees in Winter

Have you ever wondered where all the honey bees go during the winter months? As the hive approaches autumn the queen reduces her rate of laying so that there is only a skeleton crew to tend her during the winter. Over the summer months the bees live for an average of only six weeks, literally working themselves to death. Those that hatch approaching autumn will overwinter and manage to live for up to six months. The queen can live for a few years before she is replaced either by the colony itself, as her fertility rate drops off, or by the beekeeper every year or two.

As the supply of pollen and nectar disappear, and temperatures drop, the remaining bees huddle together around the queen keeping her warm at a constant temperature. In colder weather they huddle tightly, in warmer weather the ball expands. The bees rely on honey and pollen stores collected over the summer for survival. If their beekeeper has taken too much for their own harvest at the end of summer, the bees will starve to death before the following spring arrives. For a beginner like me that balancing act is all a bit nerve wracking.

On warmer still days bees can be seen taking 'cleansing flights'. Thats a polite way for saying they are going outdoors to the toilet. They do their best to keep their legs crossed in bad weather so that their hive doesn't get soiled during winter. They are well able to survive bitterly cold temperatures and cold snaps, but its the damp that can affect them badly.

It won't be too long now before the first blooms of dandelions and willow offer their long awaited abundance of pollen to hungry bees. I'm really hoping at least one of my two colonies have survived the winter, or it will have been a short lived and very expensive hobby. During winter months the hive isn't opened by the beekeeper so the suspense is almost unbearable. Fingers crossed.

The Honey Harvest

Taking off the honey harvest is the climax of the beekeepers year. I didn't expect any this year, it being my first year and not really knowing what the hell I was doing, the bees only having foundation rather than comb to work with, and then seeming to lose my queen (no eggs) within 3 weeks of getting my hive ... it was a shaky start to say the least! However we pulled through and a queen cell I put in an empty hive with a few frames from the original hive hatched out and so began a new colony. I had intended to unite the queenless colony with the new colony, but to my surprise the old queen showed up again, evident by plenty of new eggs and a sighting of her highness. At the end of the season, in hindsight, I'd do things differently ... hopefully I'll learn and remember for the start of the season again next year when I tentatively open the hives in Spring and pray that they have survived the winter.

I was thrilled to find that one of the hives was strong enough to gather me some honey. I'd put an extra box of foundation in a Super over the Brood Body. The bees busily built comb, and half filled the frames with honey. Some were capped, others still open.

Having cleared the Super of bees the fun of honey extraction began. A little planning is needed with bowls, plates and trays in strategic positions in order to confine stickyness, but all in all, it was great fun and hugely satisfying. As the frames were decapped and spun by hand in the extractor the aroma of beeswax and honey filled the kitchen. All in all I collected 20lbs of honey (I used a Brood Body as a Super), and within 24 hours have already managed to consume 1 lb! Hmm, perhaps it won't last the six months I predicted!

Glossary!
Foundation - a sheet of beeswax with the indentation of comb imprinted on both sides. It acts as a starter for the bees who build the comb out from these sheets within wooden frames. It prevents them from building wild comb willy nilly all over the hive which would make it impossible to remove frames of honey or frames to check brood and hive health.
Brood Body - the lower box in the hive where the queen lives and lays her eggs, being prevented from entering other boxes by a mesh called a Queen Excluder, the worker bees can pass through it to build comb and store honey in the boxes above, referred to as Supers.

The World of Bees

A few weeks ago I knew nothing about bees, infact, I was one of those people who thought this is what lived in a  bee hive ....

.... now I know that's a bumble bee, not a honey bee! Bumbles do live in a colony and harvest nectar, but they only contain 50 individuals or less in their nest, so not exactly contenders for those of us wishing to win some honey from their work.

Today I know a little bit more about bees. I say 'little' because although I've been devouring books and attending a few lectures, I realise just how much there is to learn about these fascinating creatures. Theres so much I don't know where to start! This is my hive and smoker.

Hives come in many designs from across the world. Mine is known as a National. I like it because its small enough for me to lift without causing serious back injury! Any of the larger hives and I would be in trouble ... when a hive is full of honey the weight is unbelievable. The drawback of a National is that there may not be enough space for a growing colony, causing them to swarm. Learning the various techniques to reduce the amount of swarming is an art in itself. But why bother to reduce swarming? Because when your hive swarms you lose up to two thirds of your bees, leaving very few behind to collect a harvest of honey for their keeper. The queen leaves with the swarm and production is set back a month until a new queen hatches, mates and begins to lay eggs in the hive. Now you begin to see why its difficult to decide where to start when talking about bees! Theres so many interlaced cycles and activities, layers upon layers of interacting variables.

This is what my hive looks like when I take the roof and crown board off. This is the brood body where the queen lays her eggs, the nurse bees care for them, and the foraging bees store honey and pollen. In the picture you can see the bars along the top of the frames, the sheets of comb hang down supported by each frame. During my weekly inspection I take out each frame and check how much brood there is and the patten in which it is laid. I look for occupied queen cells as an indicator of possible impending swarming. I check they have enough stores of honey & pollen for feeding themselves and the brood. I make sure they have enough space for laying eggs and storing honey. Its reassuring to see the queen but seeing newly laid eggs is as sure an indicator that she is there and all is well. I look for signs of disease. I write it all down in my notebook, numbering each frame, taking my time and enjoying the tranquility of working alongside nature ... then I retire inside, have a cup of tea and savour the experience ... the essence of nectar, beeswax and smoke still lingering.

When I first began, I was petrified. As I approached the apiary I felt faint, my heart pounded and I wondered what the hell I was doing this for! Within 2 minutes of opening my first hive, alongside an experienced keeper, I experienced the wonder, awe and relaxation to be gained by working within the sphere of honey bees. Euphoric.

I still don't feel like a proper beekeeper ... I haven't been stung yet!

Bees Arrive

We have bees! A six hour round trip with a great friend for moral support and we arrived home at midnight. By the time the bees had been set in place by torchlight it was 2am!

In two days time I will have to open the hive, my first time ever, it will be terrifying and magnificent all at once (I refrained from saying it will be a major 'buzz'!).

I'm told that I need to get the 'super' on the hive at the first sight of blackberry blossom (saw some today), as this indicates the start of  the major honey flow. A super is the section of hive which contains frames onto which the workers can build comb and store their honey, but a queen excluder prevents the queen from going up into it and laying eggs. She is kept below the 'super' section, in the 'brood body'. If you don't get the 'super' on in time, the bees may not have enough space for storing honey, and then they are in danger of swarming to find a new site with more space. If they swarm ... there go your bees, and your honey. Being a bee keeper is largely about providing them with the space to lay brood, the space to store honey, and  a new hive if the colony gets so large it needs to be split before it swarms itself. There, thats about the limit of my bee knowledge at the moment, which all book based rather than experience, and is a drop in the fascinating honey ocean.

Bee Adventure

Tomorrow is an exciting day ... I go on an adventure with a friend to collect my first ever bee hive, complete with a strong colony of bees! This involves loading a beehive into the boot of my car after dark, when the bees will all be 'asleep'. Lets hope they aren't in the habit of staying up late on Bank Holiday weekends. I then have a 3 hour drive, after dark, with my friend for moral support and navigation ... we will both be wearing beesuits just incase the bees escape into the car. I'm told that on the rare occasion this does happen, that they tend to all  congregate on the rear window. Can you imagine what we will look like driving in white suits, I hope the Guards will not be out with any roadchecks that night! All we need is a geiger counter to complete the look. I must have faith that this is all going to go according to plan!!!

We arrive home roughly around midnight, when the hive will need to be carried to its final destination, where its doors can be opened ready for when the bees wake at sunrise, yawn, stretch their wings, walk to their front door and exclaim 'what the?'. They will immediately notice their surroundings have changed and will begin orientation flights. These begin with the bees flying a few feet from the door, back and forth, each time going a little further. This is how they imprint the landmarks in their heads and are able to find their way home to the hive after foraging.

I'm all set ... I have an inhabited beehive on the way, a good bee book called Guide to Bees and Honey by Ted Hooper, a bee suit, a smoker, and a hive tool. Thats everything I need to get started, all I lack are experience and confidence!

If there are any aspiring or active County Leitrim or Sligo beekeepers out there perhaps you'd like to attend a meeting at which a club for each of these counties will be established. The meeting is being organised and hosted by Sue Anthony, a respected Co Sligo commercial beekeeper. Her cottage is 5 minutes from Gurteen, the meeting will be at 8pm Thursday 21st June. Email me for directions.