Login
Get your free website from Spanglefish
Spanglefish Gold Status Expired 17/11/2024.

Gallery

October 2024 - Wax Workshop 


October 2024 - Honey Show held at Munroe's Nurseries


September 2024 - Dingwall Feil Maree street fayre.


August 2024 - Culbokie Community Trust Food and Drink Festival


August 2024 - Varroa monitoring and treatment - Culbokie


August 2024 - Black Isle Show.


July 2024 - Scatwell meeting.


May 2024 - Culbokie meeting


May 2024 - RHET demonstrations to school pupils, Fortrose and Black Isle Showground.


December 2023 - December meeting.


October 2023 - 2023 Honey Show.


September 2023 - Visit to Tarradale Primary School.


September 2023 - Black Isle Food & Drink Festival.


August 2nd/3rd 2023 - Black Isle Show.


July 29th 2023 - Apiary meeting at Ardullie Lodge, courtesy of Elizabeth Richmond-Watson.


July 9th 2023 - Queen rearing course.


July 8th 2023 - Apiary meeting at Arthur Hill's out apiary at Scatwell.


June 21st 2023 - Apiary Meeting with Chris and Andrea Goddard.


June 14th 2023 - Apiary meeting with Jo and Stuart Young.


October 5th 2022 - 2022 Honey Show.


September 21st 2022 - Demonstrations.


September 10th 2022 - "Preparing for winter" at Fairfield Apairy, courtesy of Anne and Arthur Hill.


August 20th 2022 - Heather picnic at Fannyfield, Evanton. Courtesy of David Cathie, David Thomson and Don Fraser.


August 17th 2022 - Stuart Tickner's apiary at Eathie.


June 18th 2022 - A visit to the "Snake Pit" a.k.a. Arthur Hill's out apiary.


May 18th 2022 - Novices' meeting at Fairfield Apiary hosted by Anne and Arthur Hill. 


May 14th 2022 - our annual visit to Kay Liston's apiary at Lochcarron.


August 28th 2021 -  Fairfield Apiary meeting hosted by Arthur and Anne Hill.


August 21st 2021 - Fairfield Apiary meeting hosted by Arthur and Anne Hill.


July 2021 - Evanton meeting hosted by the Thomsons and Applegates.


July 2021 - Muir of Ord meeting hosted by Jane Thomson.


June 2021 - Lochcarron meeting hosted by Kay Liston.


June 2021  - The first meeting of the year at Findon Mills held under level 1 Covid rules.


June 2021 - The rescue of a feral colony housed in an abandoned duck nesting box with the full story - so far.


Late September 2020 - rescuing a late swarm or, more likely, a lately discovered swarm.


September 5th 2020 - Fairfield Apiary - "Preparing for Winter" - click here for photographs.


August 15th 2020 - Evanton -click here to view photographs.


August 1st 2020 - Findon Mills - click here to view the usual collection white-suited anonymous beekeepers.


July 2020 - visit to Lochcarron for West Coast Members meeting. Click here to view photographs. 


July  2020 - Novices meeting. Click here for some photographs. Rather a windy day and would have been better if it had been warmer and sunnier but at least the meeting took place:-) 


May 2020 Chris and Andrea Goddard took the opportunity of taking photographs and video of a swarm entering their bait hive. They can be viewed here


August 2009 Black Isle Show - Click here for photographs. 


September 2007 Dingwall Open Day  - click here for photographs.


September 2008 Dingwall Open Day - click here for photographs.


Honey Show 2019  Photographs courtesy of Elsbeth Neil, Jane Thompson and Roger Piercy  


Collection of photographs showing the straightforward collection of a swarm (July 2019). 


Visit to Lochcarron, June 2019 can be viewed here


A collection of photographs showing queen cells - click here. For an excellent article on interpreting queen cells click here


June 2019 - visit to Kilcoy Kindergarten - click here

 


May 2019 - evening apiary visit to Findon Mills - click here


August 2018 Black Isle Show Click here.                         


August 2017 Black Isle Show. Click here


May 2017 visit to Lochcarron apiary of Kay Liston. Click here.                                        


A series of photographs showing the separation of wax and honey using an uncapping tray to process frames of set Oil Seed Rape honey. Click here


Collecting pollen from colonies in the Easter Ross BKA apiary in Tain. Click here

 


2014 Honey Show - selection of photographs from this very enjoyable evening. Click here and remember to click on an image to start the slide show.                                                                 


Arthur and Pam presented an Introduction to beekeeping Course in Ullapool to the Scottish Crofting Federation. Click here for a selection of photographs.                                               


Pam hosted a meeting on behalf of Transition Black Isle on May 31st 2104. Click here for a selection of photographs of the event.                                                                                          


To see a few photos of 2 swarms click here.                                                              


For a slide show of some queen cells and a new "Queen Bee" click here.                    


For a slide show of the Summer Apiary meeting at Findon Mills, June 2013 click here.


A member has submitted the following photos to show the effects and damage caused by dampness.

 


D&DBKA raising beekeeping to new heights to avoid badger predation!

Is it the view or the bees you look at when in the Far North-West?


 

Some views of Thorne's premises in Wragby



The white specks in the right hand photo is wax left behind by the swarm whilst it spent 24 hours deciding to go into the hive. (15th June 2012)


Is the above an example of drone brood laid by a laying worker? Your comments would be most welcome. (7th June 2012)

No suggestions were forthcoming but further colony evidence did suggest a laying worker which was successfully cured. (30th July)


This photo shows chalk brood being removed from a colony.

Climate change - what climate change? A view on a light dusting of snow on the hills and Rosebay Willow Herb in full bloom. Taken in the Contin area in 1976 or 1977.


If you think this is impressive just wait until you see the next picture!

 


Some views of a recent swarm. Well worth having captured and re-hived.

Given their marching orders!

 

 Well on the way home


 

Honey processing demonstration 10th November 2010

Courtesy of Stuart Tickner


The start of harvesting the results of all the season's hard work. 


 

 The second swarm of the day this time from our best hive - not unexpected but definitely one to keep.

Question is - "Will it fit?"

Only one way to find out!

and the answer is ....

No!

After a while they decided to head off and judicious spraying with the hosepipe and the trapping of the queen in the skep meant we were able to persuade her to go into a prepared hive. After a couple of attempts to escape she decided  to take up residence and the confused bees were eventually encouraged to join her or return to the original hive!

Original hive, far left and the new home on the right.


 

Presentations to our past Secretary and President.


"Heading home from the Gorse"

Ken MacKenzie


 

If only it could be like this with every hive every year!


 

 Easy does it! Hiving a swarm at a recent apiary meeting in Rosemarkie.

This was only half the bees, the rest had to be persuaded out of the box. A very good example of a prime swarm.


Some of our members have been feeding fondant and experience suggests that the bees are keen on it, as shown below. Photo courtesy of Stuart Tickner

 

The following photos show what can happen if you leave an empty super in place without a crown board.


Photograph courtesy of Arthur Hill

 

 A very seasonal picture! January 2010

Photograph courtesy of Stuart Tickner

Warning! You never know what you might come across when walking across the heather moors.

Photographs courtesy of Anne & Arthur Hill

 

 


More white suits peering into a hive - this time at Dundonnell on Friday 17th July at a get-together of West Coast beekeepers.

 

'Appi Apiarists learning the basics of beekeeping. Saturday 4th July

Stuart Tickner

It'swarm work collecting swarms, especially on one of the hottest days of the year. On the Boath road, Alness 30th June 2009

 

The following photographs were taken at a hive "rescue" on the West Coast.

The scene when we arrived with some possible spare equipment.

Some "tent"ative guessing was going on here as we disturbed a toad from its slumbers.

It required more than just a hive tool to shovel this comb out of the way!

 

Eventually honey was running out of the bottom of this spare brood box.

A pleasant surprise; the brood box was in much better condition than we expected once we had removed the outer lifts and all the excess comb.

The excesses of 15 years non-disturbance.

Beginning to assemble the salvaged frames.

By now the bees were clustering on every surface, but at least they were very calm considering the amount of disturbance.

The first stage of the rescue completed with bees still collecting on fence posts.


Beginners' Introductory Apiary visit, 2nd May 2009


 




What a pity you can't take photos and apply tippex at the same time!
Not often you get such a good view of the queen as she goes into her new home.

Ken Mackenzie
June 2008





A swarm of beekeepers - 21st May 2008
Roger Piercy
 
the image “http://www.spanglefish.com/dingwallbeekeepers/pictures/big/beginners'%20class%202.jpg” cannot be displayed, because it contains errors.
Roger Piercy
Beginners' class - Saturday 3rd May 2008

                                             Trapping the queen                          Gillian Gunn
 

 
Marking the queen through the cage
 

Snow-capped hives observe the effect of insulation
- courtesy of Arthur Hill
 
Ivy in flower at Cullicudden graveyard     October 2007   
Ken MacKenzie
 



Bees on Ivy      October 2007        Ken MacKenzie


Has anyone noticed how beekeepers start acting like bees by clustering around their Queen?


Swarming home  -   Ken Mackenzie


The heights some people go to to collect a swarm!
Roger Piercy


Donations of suitable beekeeping photos always welcome.


Back to the top
 

 

 

Click for Map
sitemap | cookie policy | privacy policy | accessibility statement