The Bee Company has four hives in Tullisaari park, Helsinki. Ina is the beekeeper of our Art collective.
If you live close by the hives, call me if:
- you see a swarm
- you notice vandalism
- you have something to ask or just want to have a chat
My number is +358 (0)407175011
The bees I keep are temperate Italian-Finnish honeybees (Apis mellifera ligustica). Summer 2020 was peaceful and rewarding. We avoided swarming and the hives seemed to be managing well, although sometimes I was nervous whether I was doing anything right. I had to disturb / care for the hive on a weekly basis for I wanted to learn to read the queen’s actions and the development of the hive better. There were a few cold weeks in May and the growth of the hive did not start until the beginning of June. In June, I divided the hive and bought a new queen . Midsummer was hot and the bees were working hard. The July rains taxed the honey yield. In the beginning of August, I took about 50 kilos of honey from the hives and started giving them the sugar syrup. Currently, both hives have queens born this summer and a good crowd. Only a few varroa mites were found in the mite inspection. The summer has been soaringly interesting and the bees gentle on a novice beekeeper like me.
Ina