Archive for the ‘Bee Lore’ Category
Hole in my veil…beeware!
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beekeeping on September 26, 2008| Leave a Comment »
The Properties of Bees
Posted in Bee Law, Bee Lore, Bee-ology, Beetwixt & Beetween on August 25, 2008| 1 Comment »
The properties of bees are wonderful noble and worthy. For bees have one common kind as children, and dwell in one habitation, and are closed within one gate: one travail is common to them all, one meat is common to them all, one common working, one common use, one fruit and flight is common to them all, and one generation is common to them all.
From: De proprietatibus rerum
A Share of Divine Intelligence
Posted in Bee Lore, Beetwixt & Beetween on August 25, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Some say that unto bees a share is given
Of the Divine Intelligence, and to drink
Pure draughts of ether; for God permeates all –
Earth, and wide ocean, and the vaults of heaven –
From whom flocks, herds, men, beasts of every kind,
Draw each at birth the fine essential flame.
From: The Georgics by Virgil
How to Make a Medieval Willow Skep
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beekeeping on July 18, 2008| 1 Comment »
An interesting u-tube demo on how to make a Willow Skep can be found at:
http://www.larsdatter.com/beehives.htm
Bee Dances
Posted in Bee Law, Bee Lore, Bee Present, Bee-ology, Beekeeping, Beetwixt & Beetween on July 18, 2008| Leave a Comment »
Bees have devised a very effective method of communicating information about sources of food using a ROUND DANCE and a WAGGLE DANCE (or figure of eight). The dances do not appear to indicate the height of the food above ground level and in most cases this is not important since to a bee the source will be obvious.
Round Dance
This is used when the source of food (nectar or pollen) is less than 100 metres away. The bee dancing goes in a circle on the comb first one way, she turns round and then the other way round the circle. Food is passed from the dancing bee to those watching and following giving information about it’s taste and smell. The round dance does not appear to tell the bees in which direction to go to the food source just that the food “is close to the hive and tastes and smells like this”.
Waggle Dance
For food supplies more than 100 metres the waggle dance is used. The bee will run in a direction on the comb which indicates direction relative to the sun’s position. The bee uses the force of gravity (vertically downwards) as the position of the sun and if say the food is 30 ° to the left of the sun then the bee will dance 30 ° to the left of the vertical on the frame. Whilst the bee is indicating direction she waggles her body from side to side to indicate distance to the food source. The more waggles the closer the food source is to the hive.
The waggle dance gives both direction and distance to the food source and by tasting the food the bee knows what to look for.
From: http://www.cheshire-bka.co.uk/Beekeeping/beedance.php
A Year On
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beekeeping, Bylaugh on July 18, 2008| Leave a Comment »
It was a year ago yesterday that I started writing this blook. I never dreamt that it would get so big and have so many entries and have received so many hits by now. It has been a great way to relax in the evenings after work as well as a good place to record some of the happenings in the apiary – though I am still not sure why Tears of Ra, the Sun God is the most popular page by far. Perhaps it is something to to with the way Google and other search engines work?
The bees have thrived! Having had a very low period of only one colony through the winter – faithful old Faith, we now have seven colonies in the apiary (plus the one in the roof) making eight! And June has been a truly memorable swarm-catching month.
I stopped work on 4th July (Independence Day) and have decided to take the rest of the summer off before starting a new set of projects in the Autumn. So apart from making up a few new rooves and stands for the new colonies, my work-load is at a minimum. Which is really nice – since I seem to have been at the large organisation grindstone for the past 28 years.
So what plans for beelore in the coming year? I suppose that I want to write more on Bylaugh – which is the story part of the blook. So far, I have developed the first chapter – but there is definitely more to be written! The internet continues to produce interesting bee stories and poems and connections – but I want to explore some of the boundaries of the myth and legend by digging into pre-history a bit more – as well as to research the connection between the health of bees and the state of the planet. This will probably require me to adopt different techniques to collect the material as well as finding different ways of connecting with those who have the stories. Any ideas on how to do this would be welcome!
Three Swarms Caught in Eight Days…. and Two Move On!
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beekeeping on June 30, 2008| Leave a Comment »
What an end of June it has been! We caught three swarms in eight days – with not much time to blog in between! They were: (Prior’s Heath (20th), Hawkhurst (24th) & Kilndown (28th).
The one from Prior’s Heath was superb – stuck on a pergola. We placed one of the nucs that we got from the beekeeper from Essex earlier in the season upside down on top of the pergola and smoked the bees up into the box. They were well behaved. This system works well – and better than shaking them as they don’t disturb the bees so much. At least that is what I reckon. Sweeping or shaking them makes them fly more.
Used the same technique on the ones from Hawkhurst – this time the bees went in very quickly. What also worked well this time was putting the lid on the nuc and turning it the right way up to collect the last remaining bees that were flying around. We probably only left one or two bees flying. Quite satisfying.
The third swarm from Kilndown had been in a tree for over 36 hours! They were quite tired and ready to find a new home. Again, smoking up into the box to get the queen in and then turning up the right way to put the lid on worked a treat!
We now have seven colonies in the apiary – including the four swarms we have caught this season. Not bad from the start of the year with only one colony!
Faith also swarmed – and has left about half the bees.
At the same time we decided to get the outside of the house painted and on the day we caught the last swarm, the one that settled in our roof itself decided to swarm! There is still a small colony there – but we might collect them in before the winter gets them.
June has surely been a month of swarms and lots of silver spoons!
From Paul and Anna Mason – left on 24/06/08
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beekeeping on June 30, 2008| Leave a Comment »
A swarm of bees suddenly appeared in our garden at lunchtime today and settled themselves into our hedge. Not having experienced this before we “googled” Kent Bees and was pleased to find your website. Thank you for attending so promptly and making it a very educational and sociable “tea drinking” evening!!!
Two Thousand Year Old Advice on Siting an Apiary
Posted in Bee Lore, Bee Present, Beekeeping, Beetwixt & Beetween on May 28, 2008| Leave a Comment »
First find your bees a settled sure abode,
Where neither winds can enter (winds blow back
The foragers with food returning home)
Nor sheep and butting kids tread down the flowers,
Nor heifer wandering wide upon the plain
Dash off the dew, and bruise the springing blades.
Let the gay lizard too keep far aloof
His scale-clad body from their honied stalls,
And the bee-eater, and what birds beside,
And Procne smirched with blood upon the breast
From her own murderous hands. For these roam wide
Wasting all substance, or the bees themselves
Strike flying, and in their beaks bear home, to glut
Those savage nestlings with the dainty prey.
But let clear springs and moss-green pools be near,
And through the grass a streamlet hurrying run,
Some palm-tree o’er the porch extend its shade,
Or huge-grown oleaster, that in Spring,
Their own sweet Spring-tide, when the new-made chiefs
Lead forth the young swarms, and, escaped their comb,
The colony comes forth to sport and play,
The neighbouring bank may lure them from the heat,
Or bough befriend with hospitable shade.
O’er the mid-waters, whether swift or still,
Cast willow-branches and big stones enow,
Bridge after bridge, where they may footing find
And spread their wide wings to the summer sun,
If haply Eurus, swooping as they pause,
Have dashed with spray or plunged them in the deep.
And let green cassias and far-scented thymes,
And savory with its heavy-laden breath
Bloom round about, and violet-beds hard by
Sip sweetness from the fertilizing springs.
From Georgic IV by Virgil written c.29 BCE.
The Busy Bee has no Time for Sorrow…..
Posted in Bee Law, Bee Lore, Beetwixt & Beetween on May 28, 2008| 1 Comment »
A fool sees not the same tree that a wise man sees.
He whose face gives no light, shall never become a star.
Eternity is in love with the productions of time.
The busy bee has no time for sorrow.
Extract from Proverbs of Hell by Willam Blake
Bee Lore 