Heart of England Beekeeping Solihull and West Midlands

25/04/2026

Chickens, hatching eggs, poultry equipment and honey bees and equipment 🐣❤️🐝🦆

09/04/2026

Thousands of bees cluster in silence, not to strike, but to wait.

What looks like danger is often a colony between decisions.

But the part most people miss is what that pause actually means.

When a hive divides, the old queen leaves with a large portion of workers, forming a temporary mass on a branch or structure. This cluster acts as a living shelter, wrapping tightly around the queen while scout bees spread out in search of a new site.

Each scout evaluates cavities by size, entrance shape, and protection, then returns to signal its findings through waggle dances. Over hours or even days, competing options are tested until the colony reaches a collective decision.

During this window, the swarm carries no young to defend and no stored honey to protect. Their priority is movement, not conflict, which makes them far less reactive than an established hive anchored to resources.

This is why experienced beekeepers can safely collect them, guiding the entire group into a new box before they relocate on their own.

What looks like a threat is actually a pause filled with purpose.

10/03/2026

Spring is here its this time of year we are do busy today

31/01/2026

28/01/2026

🐝 A follower asked a great question:
How much weight can a honey bee carry when transporting pollen, propolis, or nectar stored in her honey stomach?

Honey bees may be tiny… but don’t let their size fool you — they are incredibly strong.

An average worker honey bee weighs about 90–110 milligrams (that’s her weight without any cargo). When she heads out to forage, she can comfortably carry 30–60% of her body weight — and in some situations, up to her own body weight if conditions allow.

What she’s carrying really matters
🐝 Nectar (stored in the honey stomach):
A forager can carry roughly 30–60 mg of nectar, sometimes more if the nectar is rich and close to the hive.

🐝Pollen (packed into pollen baskets):
Usually 15–30 mg, depending on the pollen type and how moist it is.

🐝Propolis:
This one’s heavy and sticky. Bees carry smaller amounts because propolis is dense and impacts flight much faster than nectar or pollen.

When does flight start to get harder?
30–50% of body weight: normal, efficient flight
60–80%: slower flight, higher energy use
~100%: possible, but difficult — less control, more risk
Bee Haven 2026
Bees rarely “max out” their load unless the resource is very valuable or very close to the hive. They’re excellent energy managers, constantly balancing distance, weather, load size, and colony needs.

23/01/2026

My dad keeps bees. Today he showed me all the honey he collected this year. He took the lid off a bucket of honey, and on top were three little bees. They were covered in sticky honey and struggling in it. I asked him if we could help them, but he said there was no hope-they surely wouldn't survive. To him, those little bees were just the usual casualties of honey harvesting.
I asked again if we could at least take them out and end their suffering-after all, he was the one who taught me to ease an animal's pain when there's no other way. After I wouldn't give up, he finally relented and pulled them out of the bucket. He put them in a small empty container and left it outside. Since he had disturbed the hive, bees were flying all around in agitation.
We placed the three little bees on a bench and left them to their fate. My dad called me a little later to show me what was happening. The three little bees were surrounded by other bees that were cleaning the almost-dead ones, helping them remove all the honey from their bodies. When we returned a bit later, there was only one bee left in the container. The others were still diligently cleaning her.
When it came time to leave, we checked one last time -and the container was empty.
Those three little bees survived because they were surrounded by others who refused to give up on them, bees who wouldn't let them die..

21/06/2025

Summer dearth - have you heard of it? 🐝☀️

When temperatures rise and flowers dry up, nectar sources vanish. Even in full summer, your bees might be hungry - not harvesting.

Signs of a dearth:
🚫 Aggressive or robbing behavior
🚫 Light frames with little nectar
🚫 Bees hanging out at the entrance without foraging

How to help:
✅ Provide clean water close to the hive
✅ Feed sugar syrup to prevent colony collapse
✅ Boost nutrition by adding HiveAlive Liquid to syrup, or feed them the HiveAlive Pollen Patty - especially if the dearth drags on

Stay alert, stay flexible, and keep your bees thriving through the toughest weeks! 🐝💛