Paynes Bee Farm

Job Position

paynesbeefarm — Thu, 08 Nov 2012 09:57:29 +0000

we have a job opportunity open. We are looking for someone to work in our dispatch room. Your main job will be packing mail orders up and serving customers in the shop. You will be self-motivated and hard working but also have the ability to work within our small team of staff. Basic Computer skills is required and a beekeeping knowledge would be beneficial but not required. contact Mark@paynes-beefarm.com with your CV or for further information.

October Sale

paynesbeefarm — Mon, 01 Oct 2012 07:45:23 +0000

Our end of season poly hive sale has started so now is the time to get your poly hives to swap your small colonies into, to help them survive the winter months, or for stocking up ready for next season.

Artificial Swarm

paynesbeefarm — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:50:18 +0000

With the mild Winter that we have had and the early Spring, the bees are already well advanced with colony size. Swarming is a natural instinct for bees but it is one that needs to be controlled if you want to maximise your honey crop or if you are keeping bees in an urban area. This little video from the Beginner Beekeeper makes the process simple and easy to understand.

Help Support the Dumball Rally 2012

paynesbeefarm — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 11:58:29 +0000

The Dumball Rally is a 2725 mile rally across Europe in fancy dress and a pimped out car, raising money for the Teenage Cancer Trust. A team of ‘dedicated’ staff at our local hospital will be dressing up as Beekeepers and ‘pimpin’ their £400 car to look like a honey bee and setting off on May 25th on the mammoth journey. We are donating money from every purchase that is made for our Poly Nuc Hives and our Poly National hives, either the Basic or Complete sets.

You can also donate direct here

It really does all count. All donations go to the Teenage Cancer Trust, which aims to improve the lives of teenages and young adults with Cancer.

More Details on Dumball rally can be found here

Details of the teenage Cancer Trust can be found here

Pollen – its importance to Honey Bees

paynesbeefarm — Tue, 14 Feb 2012 10:52:26 +0000

Pollen is the bees’ main source of protein, and is required for muscle growth in brood and young adult bees. Different pollen will contain different amounts of Protein, but bees need pollen with at least 20% protein before they can use it. Quality is a factor as well as quantity. Bees store protein in their body, and use it to build up fat reserves. The higher the level of protein in their bodies, the stronger the bees are and the longer they can live.
Bees can have a very high body-protein of over 60% crude protein, at which time they are strong, long-lived bees, with the ability to collect lots of honey. Or at the other extreme they can have low body-protein of less than 30% (Kleinschmidt 1988). When bees have low body-protein they will live only a short time, suffer from diseases like European brood disease (EBD) and nosema, and be very poor honey producers.

Bees require protein at different rates, according to the level of stress they are under. By understanding the concept of bee stress, beekeepers are able to make better management decisions about bee nutrition.

Low stress

Low stress hives show little activity. The bees may be breeding at a constant rate, there is little or no honey to gather, the air temperature is warm (above 20oC) and their needs are small. Under such conditions, bee hives will increase their body-protein, and maintain or slowly increase their populations if they can collect pollen at 12% to 15% crude protein. Under such conditions hives will develop to a reasonable strength in six to eight weeks. This can be observed when bees are collecting ground flora such as flatweed (false dandelion). During nutrition trials at Wollongbar Agricultural Institute in 1993, hives foraging only on flatweed increased their body-protein from 40% to 60% in six weeks. The hives did not store honey or increase in size. However, the low stress allowed the hives to develop high body-protein (Stace personal observation).

High stress situations

Honey bees in a high stress situation require surplus pollen with a digestible crude protein level greater than 20%. The higher the stress the greater their need for protein.

High stress in beehives occurs when:

. the bees are on a honey flow. The heavier the honey flow the greater the stress.
. the bees are increasing their breeding rate or brood area, as occurs in spring or during a high nectar stimulated breeding program. (Stace 1994)

. it is too cool or too hot (below 20°C or over 35°C) and the bees are working hard for their pollen and nectar.

Neopoll is a great Pollen Supplement to help make sure your colonies have the Pollen intake that they require, especially as Spring is now approaching.

Job Position Available – Shop Assistant

paynesbeefarm — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 12:20:46 +0000

Due to the continuous growth, we are looking for someone to help in our shop. General duties will be:
helping/serving customers
maintaining shop environment
restocking shelves
stock control
You need to be a self motivated individual who can also work as a team in this family run business. You need to have a polite and calm manner with a tidy appearance and be confident working on a computer. Knowledge of Beekeeping not required but highly beneficial.

Contact mark@paynes-beefarm.com for further details or with your CV

paynesbeefarm — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:42:08 +0000

One of our sites with overwintering Nucs in December

Well, with the mild October/November weather, we are having to feed the nucs earlier than normal. They are all snug in their poly hives and we are using the ekes to provide space directly above the frames for the fondant. That should see them through until early Spring now.

Beekeeping Course – Starting Jan 24th

paynesbeefarm — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 11:22:55 +0000

East Grinstead Beekeepers Association Maximum 12 places available for 2 Theory Evenings on January 24th and February 7th + Practical Day at our Apiary on 29th April £65 including full course notes and hire of protective clothing For full details, … Continue reading →

Behind the Scenes: The Poly Hive Factory

paynesbeefarm — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 21:02:31 +0000

Ever wondered what it takes to make your poly national hive? We are proud to say that our hives are made in the UK and not imported in. This means that not only are we supporting our economy but we have much more direct control and easier communication with the production and the factory. It also means that with our regular visits to the factory we get to see the production line itself and even get to see the hives being produced.

Poly Hives In Stock

paynesbeefarm — Sun, 23 Oct 2011 15:18:16 +0000

Well, they have finally arrived. After months of planning the poly national hives are ready to dispatch to all our customers.