Practical help — from your first hive to a thriving apiary.

Hive set-up & apiary planning

Where and how a hive is positioned can make a significant difference to both the bees and the beekeeper.

• Choosing a suitable location for your hive or apiary
• Hive positioning and orientation
• Access to water and forage
• Planning hive stands and working space
• Selecting suitable equipment
• Preparing and assembling new hives
• Installing frames and foundation
• Preparing for the arrival of your first colony

For new beekeepers, getting these basics right from the beginning can prevent many problems later.

Hive inspections

Opening a hive is easy. Knowing what you are looking at — and what it means — takes experience.

• Colony strength
• Queen presence and performance
• Brood pattern and development
• Eggs, larvae and capped brood
• Honey and pollen stores
• Space within the colony
• Signs of swarming and queen cells
• Pests, disease or abnormal behaviour
• General colony condition

Where appropriate, we explain what we see as we work — so you grow more confident carrying out your own inspections.

Seasonal hive management

Spring expansion, swarm season, honey production, summer heat and forage shortages, autumn preparation and winter management all need different decisions.

• Colony expansion and space management
• Adding or removing boxes
• Swarm prevention and management
• Honey supers
• Feeding when necessary
• Preparing for reduced forage
• Autumn and winter management
• Preparing colonies for the following season

Our approach is based on the colony in front of us — not simply a date on the calendar.

Queen & colony management

The queen and brood nest are at the heart of the colony. We help you assess queen performance and understand when intervention may be necessary.

• Identifying and locating the queen
• Queen marking
• Assessing brood patterns
• Recognising queen cells
• Understanding supersedure and swarm cells
• Colony balancing where appropriate
• Guidance on requeening
• Assessing weak or queenless colonies
• Advice on combining colonies where appropriate

Swarm support

Swarming is a natural part of honey bee reproduction, but it can be challenging for both new and experienced beekeepers.

• Recognising signs of swarm preparation
• Swarm prevention and management
• Understanding queen cells
• Managing colonies following a swarm
• Establishing captured swarms in suitable equipment

Where practical and safe, B’Almond may also assist with accessible honey bee swarms.

Colony health & Varroa monitoring

We help beekeepers recognise potential problems and build good monitoring habits.

• Varroa monitoring
• Recognising abnormal brood or colony behaviour
• Assessing overall colony condition
• Reviewing strength and food stores
• Discussing appropriate seasonal management
• Guidance on responsible treatment practices where required

Early recognition matters. Where a condition needs specialist diagnosis or veterinary advice, we always recommend the appropriate professional help.

Honey harvest support

Knowing when honey is ready — and how to handle it correctly — is part of producing a quality product.

• Assessing whether frames are ready for harvest
• Removing honey supers
• Handling honey frames
• Uncapping, extraction and straining
• Settling and storage
• Cleaning and preparing equipment
• Returning equipment to colonies where appropriate
• Post-harvest colony management

Not ready to invest in extraction equipment yet? Contact us to discuss what practical assistance may be available.