Our Second Honey Harvest!

Quick update to let you know how our bees are doing...

A few weeks ago we lost a swarm, and then as if by magic two weeks later a different turned up in Margaret's garden... What are the chances! Margaret managed to hive the swarm on her first attempt (amazing!) So now we have four colonies on the go. One in particular is doing really well and gave us 10 pounds of honey last weekend....

The other two are slowly building up and we'll hopefully be able to harvest later on in the year. The new swarm is coming along nicely too. We'll just have to be patient with these three.

Unfortunately our 10 pounds of honey only translated into 10 jars which have been snaffled up... We're taking orders for later in the year though so please get in touch if you fancy trying some out!

We're also looking for somewhere to keep one or two hives - close to Stotfold, so if anyone is interested please let us know....

Best, Andre + Jane

Smaller Orders Welcome!

We've been getting feedback that some of you would like to make smaller orders to try out our pork which is great! Always a good idea to try a little before stocking up your freezer. So, feel free to drop us a line with what you fancy and we'll get back to you with availability and price. Perhaps you'd like to try a roasting joint this long weekend? Or a pack of fat sausages? We look forward to hearing from you....

Andre and Jane

If you are interested in the piglets for sale

9 Tamworth x Saddleback Weaners for sale. Will be ready in 6 weeks time (June 24th) They'll be wormed and weaned and ready to go.

4 Gloucester Old Spot Weaners for sale. Will be ready in 4 weeks time (June 9th) Wormed and weaned also.

The parent sows and the boar are friendly and very good natured pigs, they are easy to handle and the sows have good mothering qualities and produce large litters.

We are based in the Hitchin area and would be happy for any prospective buyers to come and visit.

If you are interested in the piglets for sale as weaners whether you are interested in gilts or boars.

Please call Andre for more info

The Comet

Raising Money for The Alzheimer's Society this weekend...

This Saturday we will be at the newly re-opened Two Brewers in Stotfold with two of our finest Gloucester Old Spots helping celebrate a very ‘British’ Weekend.

The pub will have a gourmet barbeque as well as afternoon tea on offer during the day. We’ll be there promoting the preservation of British Rare Breed Pigs as well as raising money for our chosen charity The Alzheimer’s Society UK. Jane will be climbing Ben Nevis in September to raise money for the charity, so we’re offering all the chance on Saturday to feed our piglets for a small donation to this worthy cause.

15% of all orders placed in May for our Meat Boxes will also be donated to The Alzheimer’s Society.

For more info on Saturday's frivolities please give me a bell: 07958 655962

Hope to see you there!

Andre

Rare Breed Meat Boxes

The swarm that got away...

On today's inspection we found about 8 Queen cells so we carried out artificial swarming, we were feeling quite happy about the way it all went. We were having a nice cool drink and I glanced out the window and saw lots of bees and said to Margaret 'It looks like a swarm in the tree!' So I guess I  messed it up, so out we went to try and catch it... 

This is half of my bees from hive one that have swarmed after we had done an artificial swarm control. Ok, lets get them back into a hive... 

We make a plan...

We have cut the branch off and then placed them in a box with new frames... 

Here is the box with the bees inside, we've left it here hoping the rest will find their way back too and set up home.... But its not long until...

.... here they all are 10 minutes later in a hedge about 2 metres away. 

So we smoked them into a box and called for help and by the time help had arrived 

we just got sight of them on their way again, we rushed outside but they were nowhere to be seen. 

Hive Two:

 This is the Queen I had marked with a yellow spot last year that we'd been looking for. 

We just thought she was being elusive, but Andy found her and placed a Queen cage over her. She'd lost her yellow spot which is how we lost her!

Now here he goes. What you see in this image is capped brood in the centre, pollen on the outside edge and stores of honey by the scissor handles.

Holding her by her head 

He marks her thorax

Much better job than I did last year. 

Now the wing which I've never done.

Andy is the local Bee Guru from the Bee Association and has been a great help and support over the last year. We are grateful to have someone local to help us, they're a very important resource for new bee-keepers - Thanks Andy!