Bee Update

8/26/2016 01:30:00 pm , 0 Comments

Today's visit to the bees was thankfully quite straightforward, thanks to both hives and their queens being healthy and performing well. One noticeable point during today's inspection was the large amount of colourful pollen present. Some of the brood frames were almost completely covered in pollen stores.


Both queens are laying well and we are hoping that both colonies will forage a lot of nectar over the next few weeks, the weather looks good and the rain we've had should ensure the plants and flowers maintain their nectar flow. The swarm box is also stable and doing well, the illusive queen is still laying well and the bee numbers are increasing. We hope to introduce them to a 'National Hive' very soon so that they can start making provision for the winter months.

Another bonus this week is that our Sainfoin has begun it's second flush of flowering (having been cut for hay several weeks ago - let us know if you want some!!) so over the coming few weeks our bees will be spoiled. 


Add to this the various environmental mixtures we have planted in field corners (see the bumblebird mixture in the photo) which are doing well, and we should be able to take a second honey harvest later in the season.


Chris has high hopes for the sainfoin this year because we have a second field of sainfoin which has only just been cut in the last few days, so this too will be flowering in a few weeks (hopefully) giving the bees even more succession of pollen & nectar leading into the Autumn.

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Honeydale Honey

8/15/2016 03:07:00 pm 0 Comments


We have now filtered our first harvest of honey to remove any impurities, and after being allowed to settle for a week, the honey has been put into jars. We have chosen not to heat treat or pasteurise Honeydale Honey, so it will be raw and contain all of it's natural goodness. Although we’ve never planned to sell this first sample harvest, we can say that it tastes absolutely fantastic with a deliciously sweet, fresh and well-rounded flavour with a lovely light-golden colour, which all bodes 
well for the future. 


Paul’s regular inspection of the Honeydale beehives has also revealed that both are looking very healthy, with lots of eggs and both queens present. The frames, which were put back in the hive after harvesting the honey, are now squeaky clean thanks to the busy bees, and have been removed so that the foundation can be replaced and the frames reused in due course. The bees in both hives have also made a good start at filling their next super, so we are hoping to have a second harvest at the end of the season.

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Barn Owl Chicks

8/15/2016 09:42:00 am 0 Comments

We’re delighted to be able to provide a very positive news update on our barn owls. Two chicks in the Honeydale Farm nest box have now been ringed by Pat and Albert of the barn owl team of the Wychwood Project. They’re quite different sizes, with one much larger and therefore probably older than the other, but both are doing well. Evidence suggests that there were originally three chicks but unfortunately one has been lost - rather poignantly.

The exciting news about the two surviving chicks is tinged with sadness because we’ve lost the third member of the barn owl team, Ian Anderson, who died last month. Ian was so enthusiastic about this project and incredibly helpful, and the success of our owl breeding venture is a testament to him, Pat and Albert.


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