This year has not gone quite as I anticipated - and hence the shortage of posts recently.
It started off well enough. I had two colonies which were not the strongest but I decided not to combine them and I expected them to get through the winter. Neither colony had produced enough honey for me to extract any so I left them with all of it. Both colonies got through the winter.
But it was not the success I was hoping for. In the Spring, before I could make a full inspection they left! I mean they left. When I came to check the hives both were empty - no bees dead or alive. This was clearly not a swarm - it was too early and anyway there was no way they were short of room.
It is not just in the apiary that things have not gone as planned. Instead of spending all my time in Dorset and further exploring the extensive network of footpaths in the county I am in North Wales. In fact I have just added up dates from my calendar and I have spent more time in North Wales than in Dorset this year.
Knowing this was likely to happen I decided to give practical beekeeping a break for this year until things settle down - which hopefully they will be September.
Anyway I have now found a place where I can access the Internet and I have the time to put more posts on the site so hopefully I will be able to update the site more frequently now. That is when I am not walking up Snowdon. After that anything I walk in Dorset should be a doddle!
