Beekeeping with the care & understanding
in South Devon
Newton Ferrers & Noss Mayo, Totnes & Dartington, Salcombe & Kingsbridge, Dartmoor
Bees, such vital living beings on this planet.
Bee pollination helps us to produce 1/3 of the worlds food production.
As an agricultural animal they help to provide half of the worlds fibers, oils and other raw materials. and produce important medical products such as pollen, honey, wax, royal jelly, propolis and venom which has been used by humans for thousands of years.
But our bees can do so much more then food production. They are truly a keystone species by helping the growth of many trees and plants, and are a vital part of the ecosystem.
Sadly we see bee population declining due to the overuse of pesticides, climate change and loss of habitats. It is up to us to support bees wherever we can by feeding them and pollinator friendly planting.
Beehive Set Up & Guidance
Firstly we will come and survey your land to ensure the ideal conditions and location for your bee colony.
This involves factors such as location and climate, excessive agriculture, other bee hives that already cause competition for local wild bees and species as well as the general food on offer.
After a consultation and check, bee hives will be installed in an optimal spot on your land where your colony can thrive and won’t disturb anyone.
if required a one on one guidance throughout the year can be offered which allows you to look over the beekeepers shoulder, ask as many questions as you need and even get hands on with us once confident enough.
Beekeeping and Hive Maintenance
Have you always wanted to have a hive on your land but never had the time or confidence to maintain it yourself?
if you would like to increase the biodiversity of your land by introducing bees we can offer a full bee hive and colony set up with ongoing maintenance throughout the year, health checks, organic disease treatments and ethical honey harvest.
Swarm Collection
From mid-March to July each year, honeybees have an impulse to swarm to increase their numbers. This is the time of the year where you might find a buzzing formation in your garden trees or guttering.
After a call and description of the location, we can quickly come out to you to collect the swarm - safely for you and the bees - and remove them for rehoming off of your site.
FAQs Swarms:
Why do we get swarms?
With the increase in temperature as we come through Spring, the offer of pollen and nectar is rising too and allowing our honey bees to forage for their brood and increase/expand in size. Soon it will become too snug in their hives and they will be producing new queens to divide naturally. Before the new queen hatches the old queen will leave her home followed by up to 1/3 of her colony to find a new home. This is called a swarm!
Where would I see a swarm?
Before the scout bees have found a forever home the swarm usually rests in trees (or on fences!) not far away from their old hive. Finding a new home can take a few hours but sometimes even days.
I think I have had a swarm arrive at my house!
So often these swarms find themselves in unsuitable locations such as chimneys, sheds or urban environments. These locations should only be temporary for bees as they will likely not offer them a safe space for the year around. A lot of spaces might not be actively in use at this time of year (Spring), and you may think they’ll be no hassle to you there for now… but the trouble is that the longer you leave a colony to itself the more it will settle and build a complex hive from wax combs.
If I got rid of the bees that have settled in my chimney will that be the end of it…?
Even if you manage to remove all the bees, the remaining wax combs will be extremely attractive to another swarm later in the year or next year.. As soon as a hive has settled it will become hard to remove it - and in a chimney situation would often mean scaffolding, partial disassembly of the chimney and then cut out of the wax combs.. This is why it is important to act fast and as soon as you spot a swarm arriving!
What do we at the Cornish Beekeeper do with swarms that we collect? And where do we take them??
Seeing so many swarms in urban environments is unfortunately a sign for the constant decrease of habitat. Equally an urban environment is not ideal for a colony due to the lack of year round food sources. It is up to us as beekeepers to act and find them the space which offers food sources year round and a safe home, keeping them warm and dry throughout the winter without much interruption.
We re-home our new swarms in small groups of hives (we call this a stand) in pollen and nectar rich locations in Cornwall and South Devon, often on the edge of one of our wildflower meadows (our other day job). We only undertake minimal interactions with the bees focussing on their survival and reproduction rather than solely taking honey from them.. we also spend a lot of time and money supporting them to get through all seasons as often their can be gaps in pollen and nectar sources where we need to feed them.
FAQs Keeping Bees:
Do I have enough food sources to support bees throughout the year?
Spring is as important time for your colony to regain strength after winter. A good food source of spring flowering shrubs and trees such as willow, blackthorn and hazel is vital for their comb construction and population build-up to ensure healthy progress through the rest of the year.
Another important time is from mid July to early August as honey flow stops. Important food sources such as Sweet Chestnut and brambles have come to an end which makes the forage harder. Wildflower Meadows or late flowering perennials can give support in this time.
Is an urban environment suitable for beehives?
This is very much dependant on your urban environment. Plenty of cities offer alleys of mature linden, horse chestnut, maple or sweet chestnut trees which are excellent food sources for bees. Pollinator friendly planting is also becoming much more common in parks and other public spaces. Your colony might not need to compete with other bee hives or wild bees as there aren’t as many found in cities as there are in the countryside. But not all of your neighbours may appreciate a hive setup, so make sure you talk to as many neighbours as possible - did you know one hive will be foraging out 1.8 miles in radius!
Will a beehive be safe to keep on my land?
Yes. Bees are much more domestic and calmer than they used to be 50 years ago. Since then breeding queens have had their focus on calmness and honey productivity. A bee has to give up its life to sting you so it will only do so if it feels trapped or threatened.
We install bee hives in locations that are the least busy on your land with their flight hole directed out of reach of public paths or other active areas to make sure they won’t get upset with passers by.
Mowing or strimming any closer then 15 meters to the hive can be very irritating to the bees and possibly end up with a few stings. This will be considered during the set up and we will be more then happy to offer clearing around the hives for your safety.
How much maintenance does a colony require?
After winter during spring time the hive needs to be checked every 2 weeks for how the colony is overwintering and any possible spring diseases due to low immunity. They will also need to get fed as support if required.
Swarming time is the busiest time of a beekeeper. Your hive will need to be under supervision every week at least once a week from the end of March until the end of July.
From July onwards we want to harvest and then prepare your colony for winter. After the harvest your colony will need to be fed 2 to 3 times a month until it has enough food storage to overwinter. This is dependant on the availability of nearby food sources.
Towards the end of August a late summer varroa treatment (organic) will be performed with following check ups.
From October to the end of February we will let the bees rest apart from one visit for a winter treatment in January. This will also give us the opportunity to check on health and food storage.