A Year In Review 2018
By Dafydd Pett
With the season soon to end, it is now time to reflect on 2018 at Pant Derwen Apiary. The year started off with the 'Beast from the East'. Harsh winds and brutally cold temperatures battered our colonies. The bees were in a tight cluster and survived through the damp days of late February. While the constant reminder that the beast from the east was hitting the apiaries, we decided that a refurbishment of the extraction facility was needed. All oak counters that my Grandfather had installed when the room was built were ripped out. New stainless steel counters took their place making the room as hygienic as possible.
March the 3rd is not only my birthday but it was also the day of the 2018 bee trade exhibition. On March the 1st, warnings that the 'Beast from the East' part two was to arrive. Unfortunately, this landed a day before the bee trade exhibition. A hotel was booked and orders were to be picked up from the exhibition in Coventry. The snow fell fast which covered the roads making it almost impossible for the car that was used for beekeeping to make it. Although our beekeeping Fiat Doblo Trekking is a big car, it isn't meant for thick snow and the only alternative was the Fiat Panda 4x4 Cross. The car definitely isn't as big but it was the only way we were going to get there. The motorways were thickly layered with snow however it was a walk in the park for the little Fiat Panda as we cruised in the fast lane leaving Landrover Defenders behind. Despite its 4x4 abilities, space was limited. Everything that was boxed had to be unboxed for it to fit in the car.
Once the snow had stopped and it was time to see the outcome, disappointment came amongst us at the apiary. Isolation starvation killed many strong colonies. Adjacent frames were full of stores for the bees but they just couldn't get to them because of the cold. As it warmed up in April, I marked my 4th year of Beekeeping. We also started getting ready for the upcoming year. Due to the busy winter, we weren't as well prepared as we should have been. Wax moth contaminated the frames and old, dark foundation needed to be replaced but the time was limited and some jobs didn't get completed.
By May 2018, the temperatures had risen greatly compared to march with an average temperature of 20 degrees c. Colonies were now being fed with syrup again. May is the start of bee swarming season so we started preparing for a hectic few upcoming months. Swarm calls came from left, right and centre with swarm collection becoming a full-time job. At this busy time, we were also trying to control our own colonies to stop them from swarming. The quote "finders keepers" applies to swarm collection and if a swarm call was received, the bee suits would be thrown into the back of the car and we would be on our way within a matter of seconds. An interesting swarm was collected under a sofa. This was featured in a worldwide beekeeping magazine and it also got a lot of attention on social media.
Temperatures were high throughout July and August with threats of a hosepipe ban as rainwater was scarce. You would expect the honey crop to be amazing however 50% of our honey comes from Himalayan Water Bolsom. In order for the bolsom to come out, a large amount of rainwater in needed and this summer we lacked it. In other years with large amounts of rain, we have had a decent crop of honey. Despite the long and hot summer, the crop was around the same as 2017 even though we had more rain in 2017. After all of the swarm collections, we had counted 52 colonies on the 9th of July 2018.
Due to a local case of disease in another beekeepers apiary, we had arranged a date for the bee inspector to visit our hives. Thankfully we had no cases of disease. In August we noticed the rise of wasps around the apiarys. Two weak hives had been killed by wasps and they had eaten a total of 5 supers full of honey.
September is the month of extraction. This year my father and I extracted in the newly refurbished extraction facility. The extraction took a little longer than expected but we eventually got it all extracted and honey was delivered to the shops. Less activity takes place in the winter for the bees, but for the beekeeper, the work continues with maintenance, of beehives, apiaries and wax. The worst thing about winter is the disappointment that fills you as you open a hive and find a colony dead. On a sunny winters day in mid-November, we went to feed the bees and found that a mouse had made its way into the hive eating some bees, the honey and destroying the wax foundation.
The worst of winter is still to come but hopefully, we won't have another 'Beast from the East'! We hope you enjoy your Christmas and have a happy new year.
Pant Derwen Apiary.
Dafydd & Richard Pett
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PantDerwen/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/welshhoneyco
By May 2018, the temperatures had risen greatly compared to march with an average temperature of 20 degrees c. Colonies were now being fed with syrup again. May is the start of bee swarming season so we started preparing for a hectic few upcoming months. Swarm calls came from left, right and centre with swarm collection becoming a full-time job. At this busy time, we were also trying to control our own colonies to stop them from swarming. The quote "finders keepers" applies to swarm collection and if a swarm call was received, the bee suits would be thrown into the back of the car and we would be on our way within a matter of seconds. An interesting swarm was collected under a sofa. This was featured in a worldwide beekeeping magazine and it also got a lot of attention on social media. Temperatures were high throughout July and August with threats of a hosepipe ban as rainwater was scarce. You would expect the honey crop to be amazing however 50% of our honey comes from Himalayan Water Bolsom. In order for the bolsom to come out, a large amount of rainwater in needed and this summer we lacked it. In other years with large amounts of rain, we have had a decent crop of honey. Despite the long and hot summer, the crop was around the same as 2017 even though we had more rain in 2017. After all of the swarm collections, we had counted 52 colonies on the 9th of July 2018.
Due to a local case of disease in another beekeepers apiary, we had arranged a date for the bee inspector to visit our hives. Thankfully we had no cases of disease. In August we noticed the rise of wasps around the apiarys. Two weak hives had been killed by wasps and they had eaten a total of 5 supers full of honey.
September is the month of extraction. This year my father and I extracted in the newly refurbished extraction facility. The extraction took a little longer than expected but we eventually got it all extracted and honey was delivered to the shops. Less activity takes place in the winter for the bees, but for the beekeeper, the work continues with maintenance, of beehives, apiaries and wax. The worst thing about winter is the disappointment that fills you as you open a hive and find a colony dead. On a sunny winters day in mid-November, we went to feed the bees and found that a mouse had made its way into the hive eating some bees, the honey and destroying the wax foundation.
The worst of winter is still to come but hopefully, we won't have another 'Beast from the East'! We hope you enjoy your Christmas and have a happy new year.
Pant Derwen Apiary.
Dafydd & Richard Pett
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/PantDerwen/
Twitter - https://twitter.com/welshhoneyco
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