By Handsome James.
I would like to
talk to you about a side-line that has taken my fancy over the last year…
Beekeeping.
Or Apiculture
if you are after its agricultural term. The reason I got into this is three
fold.
Firstly, when
working around a busy hive, suited up appropriately, it is in fact very
peaceful. It must be the hypnotic tones of the bees but I get a tremendous
sense of calm. I’m a proper stress head, so anything that helps with chilling
me out is a bonus.
Secondly there
are many issues affecting the plight of the honey bee! They are in decline and
there are all sorts of biological and environmental factors as to why this is!
And thirdly I
have tremendous respect for the honey bee! What they get up to is incredible and
as an animal’s go they are extremely advanced. They have an internal sat-nav as
part of their flight control and it’s a glitch in development of this when they
are young that is making them ‘die on the wing’. There is still a lot of
research to be done and debate to be had before we can really get a good
understanding of what’s really at stake with regard to bee decline
So in the meantime we need to get going!
In 2014 I want
to develop my knowledge of beekeeping substantially and help the farm set up a
robust beekeeping operation in order to create a good sense of balance. I want
to help the crops grow, make honey for medicine and wax based creams
I also want
to improve my recording of them through advancements in my macro photography and
videoing skills. Wearing a bee suite allows you to get in really close to see
them doing their thing!
I had a go
last summer with a point and shoot camera, which you can see on beekeeping
blog! I think I got mixed results, but tried to lay off the trendt effects as
much as possible and capture some good detail.
However, I want
to really tool up next year for 2014. TGK often says to me in times of uncertainty
or conflict: “Relax, take a step back…. And
send a drone up”!
And this is
what I intend to do – One with HD video capabilities so it can hover above
beekeepers doing inspections and also hopefully get a good view of some flight
paths!
This is the
one I am intending on getting:
with regard
to bee photography, during my research in to good macro shots I came across a
an amazing individual who refers to himself as the “The Bee Photographer”, a French
guy called Eric Tourneret he has been all over the world, photographing
different cultures as they tend to their bees and harvest honey.
One of his
ventures really caught my attention. The Romanians. I know this is all in the
news at the moment as it would seem the entire country is heading over here,
but let’s not forget an element of their culture that will be steadfast to
their homeland in 2014. Romanian bee farmers! This generally happens in the
north of the country and during bee season they live for their work… and live
with their work….
They also
have ‘bee lodges’…. Which appear to me as converted shepherds huts with upteen
hives one each side and space at the back to work.
This bit of
kit fascinates me. It links directly to numbers one that list I made on my
first post. Colour wise you could have so much fun! Really going to town on
woodland shades or tagging it with your own bee designs! Some have very vibrant
colours and look amazing when they are interspersed with the summer magic hour!
Romanian bee
farmers travel with their colonies to various pastures before taking their honey
to local markets. The geography is typically woodland and wild flower based…
perfect for pollen!
Earlier this year, the old farm manager wanted me to travel out there and gain some knowledge form them first hand.
That almost
came to fruition in the summer months before all the turmol bestowed itself on
the farm. Jock wrote an intriuguing blog post about it:
One of my
goals is definitely to have a go at making one of these bee lodges! Obviously you
couldn’t import one as the risk of contamination would be too great. I’m not
saying you could catch a lethal dose of vampire, but on the content disease is
rife and you should always really avoid second hand hives as there are too many
variables at play with regard to how disease can be in it.
The thought
of being mobile with one of these things and going around from farm to farm pollinating crops and making honey sounds to me like bliss!
What can I
say…It’s been a stressful year folks!
2014 is going
to be a productive one!
I will keep
my beekeeping blog updated as the year goes on… so make sure you check back from
time to time!
Here is a
link for the bee photographer as well as his twitter
And finally
here are two close ups of a bee inspection I did from the summer and also a
Romanian ‘bee lodge’
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