Recent activity at the apiary
Work on the apiary stepped up a gear in February 2026 with sessions removing accumulated rubbish at the apiary, renovating the paths and repairing and painting the sheds. The old water tanks have been removed and a soakaway dug. The old rotting generator shed has been removed and a new metal one constructed on newly laid hard standing.
The lecture season got off to a good start with a talk by Rudy Repka of Ruxley beekeepers on queen rearing. The lecture was well attended and many of those present are developing plans to rear their own queens this year. In April we had a visit from Danyal Conn, our Seasonal Bee Inspector,who gave an expert demonstration of how how to inspect hives for pests and diseases. Steve Smith followed this up in May with a talk on the principles and methods of swarm control. In June we were pleased to welcome back Sean Stephenson who led a fascinating workshop on pollen through the microscope. A diversion from the lecture programme was provided by our auction of hives and other beekeeping equipment from a deceased beekeeper - this has helped a lot of people to get started and to increase their operations. Dr. Sara Robb visited in July, and gave a most entertaining workshop making soap and cosmetics using honey and beeswax.
The beekeeping season started well, with an increase to nine hives at the apiary, several of which have grown into very large and productive colonies. Our main problem has been keeping pace with with the demand for more supers to be made up. In early June we took a first harvest of honey, which has been on sale at the Kent Show, local fetes and to the allotment holders and others. In common with many apiaries in the South of England, the hot dry weather since June has proved challenging, and our attempts at queen rearing were not as successful as we had hoped. However we managed a reasonable Summer harvest with about twelve supers being extracted in mid-August.
Community outreach has taken place in the form of visits to the apiary by various groups of schoolchildren and scouts - perhaps the beekeepers of tomorrow?
The education and training brief continued with a total of twenty seven people attending one of the two beginners' courses in January and June, many of whom have now begun beekeeping in earnest. Congratulations to Paul, Franck and Louise who passed their Basic Assessment, and to Alan who passed the General Husbandry Assessment.
The bee wall gets a makeover
Taking a break
Christine keeping the benches in good order
Repairs underway on the back shed
The new generator shed
The soakaway to replace the water storage tanks
Sean Stephenson leads a microscopy workshop
Visiting schoolchildren prepare to inspect the bees
Rudy Repka giving his lecture
Fun and games at Sara Robb's workshop!
Collecting the supers for extraction
Bees clinging to the crown board
Uncapping with a fork
....and with a knife
