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...!