Beekeepers Corner Guestbook

Hi from North Wales. I’ve just found these podcasts after seeing the video editions you did on the NWNJBA YouTube site and am finding them very interesting and they provide great listening. I’m only up to the podcast number 10 now so I’ve got plenty to get on with. I’m a beekeeper in North Wales and have between 8 to 14 hives at my home apiary which is high on the side of a valley. I keep local Welsh bees which are a very old breed of black bees which was thought to have died out here in the UK back in the 50’s but being secluded, and with much work by local beekeepers who only promote local stock and not imported Bees, we have now managed to get a good bloodline going and the numbers of Welsh Black bees are growing in this area. They are unique in that they regularly fly in cold ( down to 3 degrees celcious ) and damp weather and even if it’s raining very hard they still go out to fly. They require and use very little stores when over wintering, they produce a lovely traditional/ classic brood frame in the shape of a rainbow with a arch shaped layer of pollen above the brood and then a arch shaped layer of honey above the pollen. They are skitty on the frame and very quick movers compared to Italian types and can be a little aggressive at times but we get very few issues when over wintering as they are very local bees and well acclimatized. Perhaps I’ll email you pictures of them sometime. Keep up the great work Kevin Nick.