Dust Bath

Chickens love a dustbath as not only does it rid them of parasites, it's also a communal activity and they often enter a trance-like state, making purring and cooing noises as they invade the next one's personal space. Hens seem particularly keen although the cockerels do join in, just with less aplomb. If possible, there should be an area for year round use - needless to say the hens will choose any area but once they've found a spot they tend to return.

I've inherited two rather troublesome Pekin bantam cockerels and I have put them in with the Rhode Island Red x Light Sussex hybrids as they won't be bothered by the pint size boys. They've settled in together well and I can let them out with other cockerels as they're small enough to know their place!

Now that the days are lengthening, I'm getting eggs from all the girls so the selection on this morning's stall looked quite impressive:

So, left to right, we have duck eggs from the Call and Miniature Silver Appleyard; quail eggs from my two remaining birds; tiny bantam eggs from the Buff Sussex pullets and a quartet of large hen's eggs - including one monster one from Maud, the regular double-yolker. In the last post I didn't think she was going to make it but thankfully a couple of days on a high protein, carb-free diet sorted out the sour crop and she's now back laying and looking good after her moult. Sadly the Buff Orp with the pendulous crop had to be put down but her sisters Bessie and Bertha are in good shape. I'm hoping to use them as broodies this year but so far no signs from any of the hens in that regard!

Poultry!

Well, having sold, rehomed or culled (RIP Geoffrey with the dodgy leg) 4 of my cockerels, I've been able to condense the pens of chickens down to a more manageable number for the winter. Or so I thought.....

I now have Maud the aging Goldline hybrid in one spare pen who appears to have sour crop, so she's on water and being fed a disgusting looking mix of hard-boiled quails eggs, yogurt, and fermented corn. I think she's improving but she's also moulting so looks absolutely terrible. Then I noticed one of my new Buff Orps has a very swingy crop - I've only seen now that she's moulting too and has lost all her feathers on her, well, pretty much everywhere apart from her wings. I've had to put Stockholm tar on her back as she was heavily mated in the summer before I bought her so her new pins are temptingly displayed on her bare back and I noticed a couple were bleeding. That was a sticky procedure but she's now tarred-and-feathered and in the broody coop with just water. Sigh. I don't think the prognosis is good for either of them so if there is no improvement on Monday I'll take them both to the vet for a bulk euthanasia appointment :-(

Apart from that, the ton (literally) of woodchip I put down has made a huge improvement to the chickens' welfare and should one of them deem to lay an egg then at least it is clean and I don't have the usual put down the wate, they tread in it, change the water, put it down, they tread in it, you get the idea. I think I'm getting about one egg a day at the moment which is extremely poor but next year I'll have the RI x LS hybrids coming up through the ranks and they should lay really well. They trot round the garden like a pack of velociraptors and are thoroughly teenager-ish about going back in their pen when I need them to but they're great. I haven't named them as I can't tell the difference; they do have differences but not enough to be distinguishable.

My little Buff Sussex bantam chicks are growing well and still with their Pekin broody and running round with their Pekin mates. I think I have two hens!

Chick Emporium

I sell hatching eggs for my Buff Sussex bantams, but only having two hens coupled with their propensity to go broody means that accumulating many eggs for customers can be a little tricky. One lady was after 12 and the day after I had that conversation, Herbert went broody. Thankfully the lady in question was happy for me to incubate the eggs I had been able to collect and have chicks rather than eggs!

6 were already under a friend's Pekin as she was so resolutely broody I thought I may as well put her to work, and I put 6 more under the willing Herbert. The chicks would be a week or so apart which is not ideal but is do-able. 5 of the first batch hatched:

I'm awaiting the arrival of the next batch to see how many emerge, but usually hatch rates are good when they're in the care of a hen, and it's lovely for the chicks to have some time with their 'mother' to show them how to be a chicken. Much of their behaviour of course is instinctive but they learn important social and developmental lessons when they're raised by another hen rather than under a lamp.

I also purchased some day-old Rhode Island x Light Sussex chicks - this hybrid is sex-linking so you can tell the boys from the girls. These will be my replacement layers and I was thrilled to find someone who was selling these chicks as I take a dim view of the commercial hybrid industry (as per a previous post), especially as I only had to go 5 minutes up the road from my house to collect them! I also took the 4 week-old 'sister' from a previous batch and she seems to be coping with being the largest now that the chicks have stopped trying to brood underneath her....

They are in a puppy crate in my study overnight and go in an admittedly tiny run during the day. I'm expecting their new ark to arrive this week so if it stays mild they can start being in there full time as the young ones should have most of their feathers. They have an infra-red lamp on for an hour or so to calm them in the evening and I then turn it off once they're asleep.

I also have 8 eggs in the incubator which were given to me by a friend - they acquired them in France while they were on holiday so I've no idea if they'll hatch but I'll candle them at the end of the week and see what's going on...

Swarm-a-thon

It's that time of year again - I seem to spend most of my day in a bee suit but it's been great to pick up some prime swarms to add to my colonies. Two have been from my hives and the rest from fairly local hedges! All are laying and building and doing what swarms love to do, and the weather has been warm and sunny (in between the odd day of torrential rain, hail and strong winds) so the foragers have been busy on the remaining hawthorn. I did feed one small swarm with a frame of stores poached from a stronger hive as they had been in the open for 3 days. One swarm decided to make their new home in a roof unfortunately but we are going to investigate to see if the bees have access to the interior of the house; if not, there's not really much point in faffing about trying to remove them.

I used small rectangles of foundation (approximately 2 x 8cm) affixed at the top of the frames this year as I read/heard/dreamt? that bees fix comb more securely to wood than to wax and so far they are building lovely straight comb in line with the frames. I've sold one colony and the fresh combs survived the trip so it seems to be working. I find swarming in a controlled manner is great for bees and brood as the varroa load is lessened during the break, and they start their colony life in new, bee-built comb to their own specifications. I'm not sure how many cast swarms I will get, but I'm rapidly running out of room!

First Lot of New Chicks

Beatrice the bantam has been sitting calmly on her 5 eggs - she only got up twice but I did give the eggs a spray with lukewarm water on a number of occasions to increase the humidity. All went well and the eggs hatched so I have 3 Welsummer (or at least meant to be!) and 2 buff Sussex bantam chicks. One is actually Beatrice's chick, the other being Herbert's.

I put the eggs from my new Welsummer hens to hatch on the basis that they would be Henry's offspring but they aren't looking very Welsummer-ish, although I'm not sure how variable the colouration is...according to Google Images they're meant to be really stripy but two of them are golden. I thought/read that hens can be fertile for a week after they've been mated so a new cockerel needs over that to ensure any eggs are indeed his. My friend said she thought it was ten days, and I read in another book that it can be a month!! So, I'm not sure who the hens were running with before I bought them, or maybe Henry isn't a pure Welsummer after all. Sadly my new hens were taken by a fox so unless I raise some more from hatching eggs I'm a bit stuck with breeding more.

Anyway, after the sadness of losing hens, chicks are always a welcome sight! Cue lots of pictures of the little angels:

Incubator

I have always been fortunate to have a procession of broody hens with which to hatch eggs for me - they love it and do a brilliant job so have always been rather relieved that I've never had need of an incubator. However, I have just acquired a Brinsea Mini Eco from Flyte So Fancy as I have a rather sad reason for hatching some eggs. 

At the allotments, my plot runs alongside the boundary fence, and opposite me is a field with some beautiful Vorwerk chickens that I admire whenever I'm up there, a cockerel and four hens. The girls noticed one of the chickens was 'lying really still' and unfortunately the cockerel had died, having apparently been fine that morning according to one of the other people up there. 

Knowing that eggs remain fertile for about a week after the hens have been mated, I took 7 eggs and ordered an incubator, as of course there's never a broody hen when you really need one...

I did also think it would be good to have one as a precaution and also to compare natural hatching with artificial. The chicks will be about ten days behind the ones currently under my broody Buff Sussex bantam but will be able to run together in a brooder once they've grown a bit. 

So, fingers crossed for a decent hatch. I met the gentleman who owns the hens and he's very happy to exchange the eggs for a cockerel, which is a great deal as far as I'm concerned as I've got quite a few cockerels already. The hens are beautiful though so I'm looking forward to seeing how they get on. 

Meanwhile Beatrice is sitting patiently with the odd hour off for a preen and a bathe and a peck of grass.

New Hens

After a few abortive trips to poultry shows and sales to source some traditional utility breeds, I found a place in Canterbury, Kent, who could supply me with some new birds. It was only a two hour drive and the weather was kind so apart from a few erm, domestic issues it was a pleasant journey through the Weald.

Perched on top of the North Downs, the farm had over 300 breeding birds of all different types, but I chose 3 Welsummer hens (2014 hatch) and 2 Buff Sussex pullets at 8 weeks old. The hens look a bit ragged having been in the breeding pen for the last couple of months but I'm hoping that with some grass and sun on their backs (that won't happen today, looking out of the window!!) they'll feather up and get some colour back. Henry the Welsummer cockerel seems rather nonplussed at his sudden increase in harem, especially as he seems to have the hots for nextdoor's Amber Star hybrid who shamelessly flirts with him through the fence. Anyway, I'll be looking to hatch some eggs as soon as I have a broody hen so that I can sell the pullets or keep some as replacements. Eventually I'd like to have only traditional breeds rather than hybrids so that's the master plan. I also collected some Light Sussex pullets and a cockerel for my friend who lives up the road so there is the potential to swap boys to disperse the genetics a bit.

Buff Sussex pullets in the puppy crate

Welsummer hens

Fermented Feed for Chickens

Recently I've been discovering the benefits of cultures and after reading this blog - naturalchickenkeeping.blogspot.co.uk - I thought I'd expand the fermenting residents of my kitchen to include some corn and mash for the hens.

Basically, I had a couple of spare calf buckets (I have an obsession with buckets) so I put a couple of scoops of mixed poultry corn in one, standard layer's mash in the other and filled them up with tap water. I gave them a good stir about 5 times that day. The following day the water was cloudy so I gave it a stir whenever I walked past and by the fourth day the corn and mash buckets looked cloudy and foamy respectively. Both smelt vaguely sweet and sour which is the classic lactic acid bacteria aroma so I felt confident that the buckets were preserving the contents well.

Using a plastic sieve for each feed, I use a portion of the mash in the morning, mixed with dry layer's mash to form a crumble, and in the afternoon I feed a portion of the fermented mixed corn again, mixed with a bit of dry mash to soak up the excess liquid:

Mmmmm (if you're poultry)

Well, the hens go mad for it! They are tucking in really well in the morning and afternoon and are rather snooty about eating the pellets which I give them in between times for ease and in case someone else needs to feed them (should I do something radical like go out for the day) so I've been really pleased. I top up the buckets with corn or mash and water and the mixture perpetuates itself. As long as there's always a layer of liquid over the feed it will not go off as the population of good bacteria keep the bad ones in check.

A word of warning: I discovered my dog rather likes the liquid so I have to keep the buckets covered with an old plate rather than the tea-towel I was originally using as he could push that out of the way and get his nose in.

I also feed it to the ducks and although they don't quite know how to handle mash as they dabble in their water bowl then back to the feed bowl and I end up with two bowls of slops...

The next thing I want to try now that the weather has warmed up is some sprouted greens as being on mulch the hens are reliant on their daily leg-stretch in the garden for some greenery.

Mouse Nest

Rodents are proving to be a bit troublesome this year. It was warm enough (about 15°C) to properly take the lid off of the hive with the mouse nest and remove the squatters. They'd made a lovely cosy nest on top of the crownboard in the WBC:

Two mice were in there but they skidaddled off having given me a bit of a hard stare for destroying their home. The weather is good enough now though and there are plenty of other places for them to live so I wanted to see what damage they'd done, having not had this issue before. Thankfully they don't seem to have ravaged their way through the hive:

The bees didn't seem remotely perturbed by the mice and apart from giving me a bit of a talking to about taking the hive apart they carried on calmly. I've clearly forgotten how to keep a smoker alight  over winter which didn't help! Having left all the honey on after taking a  bit in July, there was still loads of food which was great to see and hopefully will give the colony a positive start to the season.

I blocked the entrance with some bits of frame that were lying about (doesn't pay to be too tidy) but I'll get some proper blockers for this hive. The bees happily carried on bringing in pollen so I'm hoping the mice won't take up residence again...

Mulch

I struggle with February. Considering it's the shortest month, it can go on, and on, and on.....

Not helped by the weather. I'm definitely at the 'outdoorsy' end of the spectrum and go just a little [more] bonkers with too much rain-induced incarceration. It was drying up quite nicely then a weather front strolled by and flattened all the crocuses and turned the garden back in to a swamp.

The poor hens. I've had a bit of a sad time these last few weeks on the poultry front, having lost Esme to rat attack a few weeks ago, then Peggy to a kidney infection last week, then my other Buff Sussex bantam Gloria to another rat a couple of days ago.Two of my layers are going to friends of my parents as they recently lost two of their free-range hens to a dog attack.

However, it's a good time to take stock of things and given the state of the ground, no bad thing that the coops are rather sparsely populated. I asked my local tree surgeon if he had any spare chipped waste; he did and kindly dropped off a half load:

All seven runs now have a deep layer (about 4-6") of mulch. There are some laurel prunings which concerned me but having watched the hens closely as they scratch around, they've not been eating any of the material, just pecking about. My hens are experienced rangers and foragers so I'm presuming common sense will prevail. In my investigations as to toxicity of plant material and chickens, I was surprised at the number of things undesirable or even downright dangerous that my hens seem to eat without a problem.

So, with spring around the corner, and the promise of restocking with some traditional utility breeds and rearing some chicks from my remaining Buff Sussex bantams now that Beatrice is laying, I'm not feeling too bad about my recent losses.

Beeees!

Mild temperatures and a breath of warmth in the winter sunshine was enough to bring the bees out for a much-needed wing stretch. Some of the hives are very quiet, others more active. It's always a worry at this time of year as to whether the bees are ok and because I leave my colonies to lead their own lives with minimal physical intervention on my part, it's hard to sit back and just watch. I am always surprised at how well the bees fare and despite the portentious emails from the BBKA about starvation at this time of year, I assume that if the last honey I took was in early August - and even then, just the top box or a few of the capped middle frames - then they should be fine without supplementary feeding. Taking the lid off to put food in expels all the precious warm air that the bees work hard to maintain so I prefer to keep my fingers crossed and pre-empt winter stores problems by mindfulness in the preceding summer with prudent honey harvesting. It's still a difficult time though and the sound of buzzing is so welcome on a mild January day!

This is one of the busier colony and was enormous
going in to the winter

These bees are checking out an
empty hive

This colony was a bit quieter

Rabbits, Apple Trees and Squashes

It's apple-pruning time of year, and rabbits are notorious pests in orchards where they strip the bark off the trees. However, I'm using this predilection for fruit twigs to my advantage to make valuable compost for this year's squash plants.

All the winter prunings from my apple trees are saved and given to my daughter's pet rabbits and guinea pigs. This reduces the amount of hay they eat which ekes out the feed bill, and keeps their teeth in excellent condition which reduces the vet's bill! In return, they process the woody twigs in to organic matter far more quickly and efficiently than I could compost them in a heap. It also occupies them during the rather long winter days in the shed while there's no grass for them to eat and it's too cold, wet and muddy to even let them out for a breath of fresh air in their run.

So, I now have empty bedding and compost sacks full of hemp, shavings and rabbit poop which will have matured nicely by the time I need somewhere rich to plant the squash plants. I put them directly in to the top of the bag and place crushed eggshells around to deter slugs and then train them up the bike shelter so that they don't swamp my limited vegetable patch. The spent contents of the bags then do go on to the flower beds or the compost heap having nourished the squashes. The rabbits eat the skins of the squash and the hens eat the seeds....

It's the most beautiful circle. If you don't keep rabbits or guinea pigs yourself, offer them to a neighbour or friend - their pets will thank you!

Thinking About Chicks

I've had a few orders for hatching eggs already this year, although the younger trio of Buff Sussex bantams are only producing about 1 egg every other day and the other trio aren't laying at all. The Rhode Island bantam hasn't laid since about September although she did have a significant moult and is coming in to her 3rd year so I'm not expecting a prolific supply from her this coming season!

A lady called in at the weekend to collect one of the bantam eggs that I did have (I'd have had 3 to give her if I'd not made cinnamon buns, oops) as her Light Sussex bantam had gone broody which is very early in the year. I'm hoping my little cockerel's fertility levels are ok as they tend to diminish in the winter, or rather, it's the day length that stimulates the hormones. We'll see. I've asked her to let me know how the solitary egg gets on.

We've had a lot of stormy weather and the mud in the runs is terrible. I've been mucking the hens out every couple of days so that they've got somewhere clean and dry to shelter although they do insist on scuffing all the bedding out of the door, or nosing in the neighbours' coop....

It also keeps the eggs a bit cleaner which helps, especially as I sell almost all the eggs the hens lay - it was lovely over Christmas plenty enough spare to enjoy ourselves. There's always enough to go round though so I don't like to turn customers away and the thing they all comment on is that they like having the dates on the eggs - I write it on in pencil so it's possible to use the eggs for the right purpose according to the age.

A very fresh egg (less than 3 days old) is a nightmare to peel if it's hard-boiled as the membrane is so firmly attached to the shell, but it's perfect for poaching and frying because it holds its shape with a tight white and a rounded yolk. The flavour develops and is best from about 3-7 days so that's a good time for soft-boiled and easy-peel eggs for sandwiches. Eggs will keep fresh for about 3 weeks so use the older eggs for scrambling and cooking in cakes where the texture isn't so important. By writing the day it was laid on the egg, I can make sure my customers always get eggs less than a week old, with a mixture of sizes and dates. Some of the hens are laying extra large and double-yolkers which is a lovely treat and makes up for the rather puny ones the bantam crosses lay! 

Thankfully, despite the weather, all the hens are getting a run in the garden and field every day which keeps them happy and gives a beautiful rich taste and colour to the yolks. The hybrids are always keen for a forage but the bantams sometimes need a bit of persuading with a handful of corn or an apple. We're all looking forward to some dry weather and a bit more sunshine!

New Year

Having enjoyed a break over the darkest part of the year, the hens are now laying again, with a few double-yolkers in the next boxes already. I'm still feeding them hot molassed mash with Net-tex Mineral Boost, and some cooked crushed eggshells to increase the calcium levels. Apart from the loss of one hen due to a prolapse - RIP Mary :-( - they've all come through the winter in good condition with bright fluffy new feathers having all moulted. I've had a couple of requests for hatching eggs so once the bantams start laying again with any regularity I'll be able to collect some for my customers.

I'm considering getting some eggs under the first broody I have to increase my stock a bit, and check the fertility of the pair of Buff Sussex I bought last year as I've not had a chance to put Bertie and Beatrice to the test. The little chick I kept back (called Herbert, although he's turned out to be a hen) is still very small and seems to have the poultry version of cradle cap with scabby deposits around his head. He's not yet found the dustbath, preferring instead to scamper about the garden. I feel a bit sorry for him - I mean her! - as she's in with Bertie and Beatrice who are in their third year so rather staid company for a little pullet who wants to bounce around and spar with her mates. 

The garden is looking worse for wear but the crocuses are poking up now and will soon be showing their faces for the bees to enjoy, although I've got rows of snowdrops to enjoy before then.

So, that's the New Year - best wishes to all!

The ducks and the hens doing their bit to ruin the last remnants of grass...

Balanced Beekeeping

In my last post I recommended a guide to buying ethical honey which highlights the different ways that bees are kept and for what purpose. I've recently subscribed to Permaculture Magazine, and bought Issue number 81 as a download as it had an article by Philip Chandler about bees and permaculture. An interesting read: he proposes that beekeeping is a continuum from full-on honey farming to purely conservational and I found this a helpful concept, as it is irrespective of both hive choice and number of hives. He points out that bees can't be 'domesticated' like sheep or cows (even though a lot of people refer to honeybees as domesticated and/or livestock) and the choice of management is down to the beekeeper rather than purely the size of the operation.

Although drawing a line between natural and conventional beekeeping is possibly detrimental to the discussion, the greater subdivisions within the spectrum of beekeeping means that the consumer (and beekeeper!) can have a good idea of what husbandry practices can be expected from a particular methodology.

The one that sums up my approach is that of Balanced Beekeeping. He outlines the lack of regular intervention, and that honey harvests are based on the individual circumstances of each hive. Low stocking densities and naturally mated queens are another factor, and swarming is managed by working with the bees' natural rhythms. Drones are left as part of the population of the colony rather than culled. Good forage is required and this encourages more biodiversity and benefits all the species reliant on nectar- and pollen-rich planting for as much of the year as possible.

It is an excellent summary of the different ways we keep and live with our bees and would thoroughly recommend that people ask questions about the provanence of the honey that they're buying to ensure it has been produced in keeping with their own ethical spectrum.

Just Insects?

There have been a couple of entomological media items that have caught my eye recently: this report by Ethical Shopper about honey, and also Chris Packham's letter to the hosts of I'm a Celebrity about the use of animals and animal parts on the show.

Firstly, the honey report. It outlines the production techniques of the different honey suppliers and the implications to bee populations and welfare as a consequence. Much of the commercial honey available in large retail outlets is from management regimes that are little more than factory-farming for bees and the honey itself is a poor relation to the product it's meant to be. Filtering, heat treating, homogenisation can denature the delicate structure and as with all foodstuffs that are processed for long shelf life and standardised for retail use, the nutritional qualities can be compromised.

However, even small scale producers with a small back garden apiary might well be adopting practices that do not put the bees' welfare first. Clipping of the queen's wing to prevent swarming, annual stripping out the stores of honey in autumn and feeding nutritionally poor sugar water as a substitute are not in the bees' own interests in my view and ultimately have a cost to the bees' health, which in turn costs the beekeeper. This opinion of mine is based on the information I've gathered and observations I've made on my own hives: it's not a criticism of beekeepers as we all 'parent' our bees in our own way. However, with annual winter losses pitched at an unsustainable 30% and viruses and disease afflicting many honeybee colonies, surely putting the bees' wellbeing first rather than honey production is the logical conclusion?

I've been really pleased that there is increasing awareness of the medicinal properties of raw honey. The last four customers who have purchased my final few jars have said they are taking it for health benefits rather than simply to spread on toast. If this could be the norm rather than the exception then beekeepers would be encouraged to produce a high-quality artisan product alive with local provenance and consumers would value the medicinal aspects as well as the delicious taste, and the price would reflect this.

On the subject of I'm a Celebrity, the aspect I wanted to pick up on is the responses of the public over Chris' condemning of the program on the basis of animal cruelty. Many people agree with the substance of his letter but there are others who have disagreed on the grounds that 'you don't call an animal welfare charity every time you step on an ant...'

It's completely true, but then us (and indeed many other animals) treading on an ant and swatting at an irritating fly have occurred over time immemorial. People have also eaten insects - cultures that collect wild honeycomb also relish the bee grubs within the comb as a rich and necessary source of protein. However, to say that it's ok to use live animals for gratuitous entertainment is, as Chris states, outdated; the fact they are 'just insects' is irrelevant.

There is a good quote from Bradley Millar: "Teaching a child not to step on a caterpillar is as valuable to the child as it is to the caterpillar" which I think ties in with this issue. Having a respect for the natural world and viewing every part of it as having its place (even if we then choose to eat or control it) might go some way to redressing the balance on our crowded planet.

Privet Hawk Moth Caterpillar

Adopt-A-Wayward-Beehive

I am putting together plans for an Adopt-A-Hive facility at my apiary here in glorious East Sussex. It will follow similar lines to other hive adoption programs where you pay for a 'share' of a hive and as such receive regular information about that hive, a share of the honey produced and the chance to visit the apiary and meet the bees in person.

Worker bee

I would love the opportunity for people who perhaps can't have their own bees due to time or other commitments/reasons to share in the delight, wonder and pleasure of keeping bees, and I feel it may also be a good way for those who are interested in keeping them but not sure about how they'll feel when faced with a hive - it can be quite daunting! - to have a gentle introduction before enrolling on a course.

My daughter, aged 9

So, for the initial £30 fee, you will receive the following:

• A 1/10th share in a Wayward Beehive at the apiary
• A document giving you an introduction to honeybees and natural beekeeping
• A pack of annual or perennial seeds, specifically for pollinators
• A beeswax tealight or hand-made soap made with wax from the apiary
• Two 8oz jars of raw, floral honey from your bees*
• Monthly updates about your hive and other activity at the apiary
• Visits to the apiary to see the bees with protective clothing and refreshments provided

*if not 'your' particular hive of bees due to lack of surplus, it will be honey from the apiary so representative of the hive you have adopted.

My bees produce their own wax (I don't use foundation) for which they need to eat honey, and they are not fed sugar syrup, consequently the honey yields are lower. However, there is plenty of forage in the area and as we can discuss during a visit, there are numerous benefits to leaving honey for the bees in their hive. However, the bees' ability to fly and collect pollen and nectar is dependent on the season so their needs will always be put first.

The variety of plants means the colour and texture of the honey
also varies across the season 

The hives are inspected only when necessary and are left undisturbed if possible. Having said that, there are opportunites to look inside without unduly interfering with the colony's duties and other times when assessing health and honey stores in the hive that minor disturbance is warranted. It would be lovely for you to take up the option of visiting the apiary, although as checks are only carried out during good weather conditions it may need you to be available at short notice! You are welcome to come and see the apiary and discuss the bees' important role in the environment and learn about them even if an inspection isn't possible; there is always something interesting going on.

If you would like more information then please contact me at jcmoore111 [at] yahoo [dot] co [dot] uk. Shares will be available from March 2015 once the wellbeing of the hives at the apiary has been assessed. Subsequent years will have a reduced fee of £25.

September Update

Here at Wayward Bee, September has been a pleasantly quiet month, with time to enjoy the plants and animals - and the weather! It's been the driest warmest start to autumn I can remember but thankfully everything and everyone in the garden and paddock is thriving.

The Bees:
They love the hot dry conditions and are working the ivy for pollen and nectar. Walking past an ivy-clad tree, you can hear an audible buzz as bees and flies make the most of the rich supplies. There is a solitary bee called the Ivy Bee that has recently made it over to our shores (therefore a new species not an alien one) and they look very similar to a honey bee. Hornets and wasps are also making the most of the congregating masses of prey and picking off any hapless insect who doesn't look behind them...

Thankfully 6 of my colonies are going in to the winter in a very strong state, absolutely chock full of honey. One has been a bit slow to build up so I'm uniting them with a queenless colony to give them a boost in numbers. I'm also housing 2 colonies for a friend who is moving soon and needs to relocate her hives while she decides where she can keep them. One is a swarm we rescued from her plum tree and despite a rather inelegant removal of combs from the branch, they are creating a wonderful organic honeycomb structure in the bottom of a brood box and bringing in honey and pollen for the winter. They have frames of honey and comb to build in so that they can be checked more easily but bees much prefer to build their own free-form comb than in the rectangles we provide them with! I will be blogging about this on a later date, hopefully with some pictures.

This is the Rose Hive outside my front door

The Chickens:
Egg production is starting to slow down as the days get shorter, and the hens start to go through an annual moult. This natural process happens in autumn as there is a natural break in the brooding cycle (hens don't want to rear chicks going in to winter) and it rejuvenates their feathers ready for inclement weather. Each of the pens looks like it's had a pillow emptied in it and preening is a constant operation! Some hens can feel a bit peaky and go quite quiet and introverted which for an anxious mother like me is always disconcerting. I've bought them some mealworms and added sunflower seeds to their scratch ration of corn in the afternoon to boost the protein and cheer them up. The roosters always look a bit unimpressive without their long sickle tail feathers and they too preen more and strut less but this means they tend to leave the hens alone: no bad thing when the girls are below par.

The Garden:
I've been planting lots of bulbs from Gee Tee Bulbs in the lawn this week ready for spring. I concentrate on early crocus and fritillary so that they are most beneficial for wildlife. Choose a spot where the sun will shine in the winter but be sheltered from the wind; this is where the bees are most likely to look for forage. Being essentially 'cold-blooded' they need the Sun's warmth to help them along in low temperatures. Other than that the garden has been looking after itself and the asters and sunflowers are at their peak. I've been sowing Broad Bean 'Aquadulce' too ready for planting out this autumn, although I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to put them...!

Early Autumn Pinks

I've always loved the oranges, reds, yellows and magentas of hot summer planting, which perfectly straddle the bleaching heat of July through to August with the cooler tones of August through to September. I've planted some heleniums and asters to this end but I noticed today the garden has some wonderful dusky pinks which I absolutely love and I think look understated and beautiful as the season fades. I must confess to loving autumn and not terribly regretting leaving behind the hot humid conditions!

Achillea fading to a fantastic antique rose

Purple Sedum, loved by pollinators

Aster and Salvia

Echinacea purpurea

Scabiosa 'Crown'