Whatever we choose to do in this life we must be prepared to give it all the time and attention we can if we are to succeed. Keeping Honey bees is no different. Keeping one or two hives in the garden will not make a huge demand on your time, but having said that you must be prepared to do the necessary things in order to keep the honeybees in the best condition and to get the maximum return from them at the end of the season.

Honey bees are active from early March to the end of October approximately. This is the time when the beekeeper must do certain things in order to ensure the proper maintenance of the colony. Generally speaking from early May to late June a weekly inspection of the colony by lifting out frames and looking for certain developments is necessary.

The first inspection will usually take place on a fine warm day in middle to late April. The main purpose of this visit is to find the queen, mark her thorax with a drop of paint and clip her wings. This job is done while the number of honeybees in the colony is relatively small. It is easier to find the queen at this time.

1. Have the bees sufficient room;
2. Is the queen present and laying the required number of eggs;
3. Is the colony expanding as it should be and from May to mid June are there signs of swarming;
4. Are there any signs of abnormalities such as disease, undue mite infestation etc.
5. Has the colony sufficient food to last until the next inspection.

The beekeeper should keep a notebook and record his or her findings under these five points at each inspection (including the dates). This is a summary of the active seasons work by the beekeeper.

The season during which surplus honey is gathered is staggered and variable through the summer months also. It generally begins in May with the Sycamore, Chestnut and sometimes the Whitethorn blossoms. A gap of two to three weeks in the flowering of major blossoms then occurs and in late June and up to the end of July White Clover and Blackberry blossoms provide excellent nectar sources and generally the main sources of honey for the season. If you are in an area where farmers grow Oil Seed Rape the season will start a little earlier in mid-April and at the other end of the season Ling Heather blooms on the moors and mountains from mid-August to mid-September.

For most of us the time to harvest the crop is mid-August. The last of the White Clover blossoms fade at the end of July and it is best to leave the honey bee colonies alone then for about two weeks before the crop is removed. There are exceptions to all rules and in this case Oilseed Rape is the one that needs special treatment. Because of the balance of sugars in this crop the honey granulates very rapidly and so must be removed and extracted from the honeycomb as soon as the flowers begin to wither on the plant. Failure to do this will result in the honey becoming hard in the comb and impossible to extract by the usual means.

In August when the crop is removed the colonies should be given a gallon or two of sugar syrup to ensure that the honeybees have sufficient food to maintain them. Removing the honey crop often results in the hives being left with virtually no food and if not fed the sugar syrup quickly will probably die within a few days. Be generous with your honeybees and they will repay you handsomely.

Extracting and storing the honey is a major part of the season's work. Each super must be cleared of honey bees and taken home and stored in a bee-proof place until the extracting process is completed. If honey bees or wasps get access to the honeyladen supers they will continue to raid them until all the honey has been removed. They will visit in their thousands and will create a serious nuisance to yourself and your neighbours and this should not be allowed to happen. In order to eliminate the danger of such an occurrence the supers should not be removed from the hives until you are ready to extract the honey. If you have not invested in an extractor you will need to hire one from the Association and this should be done in advance so that its arrival can coincide with the homecoming of the supers. Each frame must have the cells uncapped and then placed in the extractor where the honey is spun out. It is drawn off through a tap at the bottom of the vessel into a bucket or other suitable container. Again these containers must have an airtight cover to keep out the air. Honey is Hygroscopic and if moisture gets into it fermentation will occur and the honey will be irreparably damaged.

Towards the end of August, a generous feed of sugar syrup must be given to each colony to ensure ample food stores to take them through the winter months. Once this has been done the honeybee hives are checked to ensure the roof or outer cover is waterproof and should be left undisturbed until the following springtime when the cycle starts all over again.