the apiarist atelier

25/06/2024

a quick 'bee rescue' this morning on way to day two of current extraction... bees at Haughton Mill, swarmed into one of the National Trust buildings, safely collected and offsite...

07/06/2024

those that know, know...

24/05/2024

A wide variety of buildings this week, ranging from an emergency call out on behalf of a thatching company on a lovely Cambridgeshire cottage to a Northamptonshire farm with a bee colony in a dormer, holding up roof works. Weather still unpredictable, but at least the bees are behaving... ( access on the thatch was in place forthatching repairs, not access arranged by the apiarist atelier ).

20/05/2024

Why do we need a bee day? The Day aims to raise awareness on the importance of pollinators, the threats they face and their contribution to sustainable development.

Loss of habitat and increased pesticide use are huge global threats to natural food pollination, potentially affecting billions of people.

Destroying natural sources of forage and replacing them with chemicals to increase crop yield, is proven to destroy the biome of the soil, creating a never ending cycle of increasing chemical use which leeches into our waterways causing further damage and imbalance to our ecosystem.

15/05/2024

A recent pre-extraction survey in Lincolnshire. Two very well established bee colonies under leadwork. Some bees do like to live in delightful surroundings.

30/04/2024

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-68924955

Saylor Class had complained of "monsters in the wall" of her room at their farmhouse in Charlotte, North Carolina.

23/04/2024

Well outside my normal comfort zone this evening, but nothing like pushing personal boundaries... gave my inaugural talk to the BBKA - The British Beekeepers Association this evening - an introduction to bees in buildings as part of their swarm talks series

19/04/2024

Lovely circa 1650 timber framed dwelling, two long established colony locations, C1 below the master bedroom floor and C2 within the timber frame wall construction. The concrete render applied in the 50s will be stripped to allow the building to be rendered with lime render on lath ( with the appropriate listed building consents ).

19/04/2024

A tail of two churches ( one in Essex and one in Berkshire ), both with multiple bee colonies. Invasive bee surveys to understand both the bees colonies and the building fabric and constraints to allow a methodology to be worked up to extract the bees.

14/04/2024

It's that time of the year again... please be mindful of the honey bees now that the swarming season has started. First calls received on Friday including a swarm that decided to 'move into' a church hall.

It's perfectly natural and the bees are at their most placid when swarming and will not cause any harm ( unless you swipe at them and this is only a defense response ). Once a bee stings, it dies so unless provoked it will not sting indiscriminately.

If you have a swarm settle in your garden or on your house, let me know and I will collect it before it's scouts find a suitable place to set up a local permanent "home".

Swarm collection is free ( as long as they haven't set up "home" within a tree or within a void in a building. ( If a swarm is being collected make sure it is carried out properly and the remaining bees are collected at dusk, otherwise those lost bees can then cause issues once they get tired and tetchy ).
The apiarist atelier can assist with all aspects of bees from swarm collections, removal of established bees in buildings through to the more complicated process of the extraction of colonies from heritage assets and listed buildings and everything else in between.

07976765593
https://www.facebook.com/theapiaristatelier/

05/04/2024

Spring is definitely in the air...

21/03/2024

Revisiting an old friend... this is a very calm feral bee colony within a local veteran pear tree. A bee door was added a few years back to allow the colony to be 'contained' on the rare occasions work needed to be carried out in that corner of the client's garden. However the next door neighbour has recently built an extension and the bees are therefore flying across their new terrace and therefore Ive been asked to carefully relocate the colony but safeguard the tree. The plan is to undertake a 'trap out' and then carefully secure the entrance to avoid a swarm moving back in. ( Video in comments )

21/03/2024

Church bees at St Mary the Virgin. Grade I, dating from the circa 12th Century. A long established colony above the North aisle tucked in below a lead roll roof. Initial early season survey to extract colony later this month.

14/03/2024

Dandelions — which are beginning to flower this month — are rich in both pollen and nectar, providing a great source of food for pollinators. Each bright yellow head contains around 100 individual flowers, meaning bees, butterflies and hoverflies flock to them, feasting on their goodness.

With spring on its way, bees will be emerging from hibernation hungry, on the hunt for food. If you're planning on cutting your grass over the next few weeks, the experts recommend leaving the yellow flowers to bloom — because grass filled with dandelions is far better for bees than a weed-free one.

08/02/2024

First bee survey of 2024, Oxburgh Hall, Norfolk for the National Trust. Stunning setting, but bitterly cold.

28/01/2024

Starting to get things in place behind the scenes for the beginning of the 2024 bee removal season ( circa March 17th for the apiarist atelier ). Listed building consents to sort, discussions with Historic England along with getting the paperwrok in place for the National Trust.

07/12/2023

December 7th, feast day of St Ambrose, the patron saint of beekeeping and candle makers... time to break open the mead...

06/07/2023

Lovely FLIR heat signature of a recently surveyed, well established colony located within a Victorian bay window roof.

06/07/2023

Cambridgeshire Grade II* extraction next. An old colony location recolonised by a prime swarm roughly a month or so ago. Scaffold due on site tomorrow.

06/07/2023

It's amazing on newer buildings how often builders fail to close up the building properly. The porch roof void was colonised by wasps last year ( nest to left of colony ) and feral honey bees this year, due to a lovely wasp / bee sized entrance in the brickwork.

The comb collapsed ten or so days ago ( brown wax in the bottom middle ), therefore the colony started again with fresh new comb ( RHS ). Managed to build mine comb in just ten days.
Now safely relocated to a hive and roof void bee proofed.

03/07/2023

Listed buildings present a challenge when it comes to bee proofing... from thatched cottages to churches each one have their vulnerabilities and challenges, however if well maintained, keeping feral honey bees out of buildings is relatively straightforward. It is far easier and cheaper to keep bees out of a building than remove an established colony.

30/06/2023

Another Grade II Rectory 'full of bees' - timber framed with later Victorian extension

30/06/2023

fields of borage ( Borago officinalis aka bee bread ) surrounding Colchester... wonderful in the late afternoon sunshine

10/06/2023

bees rescued and relocated from adjacent to the terrace at the St George Hotel Buckden, pollen on first comb, capped brood on second comb ( pale golden yellow area ) very docile colony on seven comb

09/06/2023

busy Friday.. bee surveys and swarm collections and establised colonies in espaliers... ( video: very strong feral colony in a 1960s building expanding quickly )

06/06/2023

A strange beekeeping year this year... local village with troublesome feral bees. Well established colony in a chimney ( six years plus ) throwing out swarms who just settle and establish themselves in random locations

the apiarist atelier

01/06/2023

infrared survey of solid random rubble wall, heat signature of colony clearly visible...

01/06/2023

A well established colony within the roof of a listed Cotswold cottage. Very calm and quiet on the comb. Colony now extracted, rehomed and gable rebuilt in lime mortar to secure the loft space.

31/05/2023

'blanket of bees' in Sudborough... ( thatched cottage extraction ) view of underside of colony with workers keeping comb warm ( was above a timber ceiling )

22/05/2023

Thatched cottages seem to be like London buses, none for a while and then three arrive all at once... Leicestershire this time and another two in Northamptonshire.