2014
2014 · December 31, 2014
In October, the garden beekeeper had already given away the last jar of his own honey - except for the retained samples and an extra jar of May honey, which he had saved for Christmas. The honey from this jar has now crystallized completely naturally and with its delicately melting sugar crystals is a very special delicacy that brings back childhood memories. It was worth the wait: honey must be like this! Until the new harvest in May 2015 the dear bees have to work hard again - we are looking...
2014 · December 20, 2014
If beekeepers do not produce candles, propolis tincture or honey liquor in winter, and sell bee products at Christmas markets, the winter months are an almost uneventful time for them. Assuming that the colonies are now brood-free 21 days after the first light frost in Heilbronn, the garden beekeeper today performed his last official act with his bees in 2014: drizzling the honeycomb lanes with oxalic acid solution to combat the varroa mite. The aim is to reduce their number as much as possible.
2014 · October 31, 2014
"Planning is the replacement of chance with error." Samuel Goldwyn, founder of MGM, 1882 - 1974
2014 · October 19, 2014
Golden October, a fantastic weather could be experienced last weekend here in the south: Bright blue sky, calm, 26°C. Each of the colonies still brought in pollen, a sign that they are still in the brood. And still some drones were flying around, although the literature says that they will drive them out of the colonies already in late summer. Anyway, the bees are now completely fed. The winter seat should be ready. The mini swarm colony has meanwhile "migrated" from the apple tree to the...
2014 · October 01, 2014
The honey licker is a putto, a figure made of plaster, which is located in the pilgrimage church of Birnau at Lake Constance. The meaning of the honey licker ("Honigschlecker") is attributed to the proverbial eloquence of Bernhard von Clairvaux, whose words flowed from his mouth like honey. The figure further refers to the diligence of the bees, and to temptation as misconduct. The boy, who is estimated to be about eight years old, nibbles very carefully with one finger.
2014 · September 29, 2014
Urban Beekeeping has become a broad movement throughout Europe. In the eight million city of London, for example, there are 5,000 beehives. In Karlsruhe with its almost 300,000 inhabitants, 230 beekeepers maintain about 1,400 bee colonies. In the urban area of Stuttgart there are about 200 beekeepers, in Hamburg 550 and in Berlin even about 750. There the garden beekeeper lies fully in the trend.
2014 · September 27, 2014
These days, the garden beekeeper noticed a swarm on an apple tree, immediately after having inspected his 5 colonies. Many signs indicated that this swarm did not come from one of his own colonies. After initial joy about his first swarm, he became increasingly suspicious, as many indications were untypical:
2014 · September 14, 2014
Fire bugs (Pyrrhocoris apterus) besiege the area around the beehives in large numbers and let the sun shine on the shield. They feed on seeds and fruits. For some reason they like it especially well in front of the bee hives.
2014 · September 10, 2014
In these days the second treatment against the varroa mite takes place: In the hives, formic acid is evaporated over several days. The concentration in the air of the hive should be just high enough to kill the mites without harming the bees. Depending on the size of the colony and the maximum temperatures to be expected during the day, the amount and the evaporation rate is adjusted by the size of a wick. The unfortunate bees have to endure this procedure. Even though the treatment is painful,...