Skills

Skills · August 5, 2026 · 6 min read

A full national super weighs around 20 kg and always sits at the wrong height. The beekeepers still working at seventy manage weight with technique and layout, not strength.

Skills · July 12, 2026 · 6 min read

Gentle inspections are a skill, not a temperament. Timing, smoke, and how you move matter more than how brave you are or how thick your gloves happen to be.

Skills · June 17, 2026 · 7 min read

Cappings and dark brood comb are worth more than most beekeepers realise. A practical guide to melting, filtering, and casting clean beeswax without ruining a saucepan.

Skills · May 12, 2026 · 6 min read

Set up bait hives with the volume, height, scent and old comb scouts look for, check them responsibly, and move a newly arrived swarm into a proper hive.

Skills · March 12, 2026 · 7 min read

Buying packages every spring is expensive and unreliable. A well-timed split turns one strong colony into two productive ones, reduces swarming pressure, and lets you keep the genetics that already work in your apiary.

Skills · March 3, 2026 · 6 min read

A table by the road is the simplest way to sell a crop. What has to be on the jar, how to price it, and what to keep a record of.

Skills · Feb 5, 2026 · 9 min read

Master the art of queen management—from spotting her in a busy hive to marking techniques and knowing when it's time to requeen.

Skills · Dec 20, 2025 · 9 min read

Raising your own queens is one of the most rewarding skills in beekeeping. Here's how to start with simple grafting techniques.