Pollens and Pests under the microscope.

That's me at the very back right of the laboratory ( red hair) picture taken at Harper Adams College during a Microscopy teaching day ...keeping bees now means checking for pests and diseases and for some of this work you need a microscope and a knowledge of dissection and how to prepare slides and samples.  Really interesting. Looking at pollen under the microscope is amazing. Each plant pollen has its own unique size, shape and pattern.

West Lake: New blog for a New Year.

Welcome to the first West Lake blog. We promise to make this interesting. Of course its linked to Twitter. Please follow us...we need all the encouragement we can get!  These next two weeks will be taken up refining the details of the Holsworthy Beekeepers Convention 22nd February 2014. at the Holsworthy Memorial Hall.  This is an all day event with some of the top beekeepers in the country presenting.  This year we welcome Phil McCabe from the Irish Beekeepers, Prof. Steve Martin from Nottingham University - there will be no dosing while he talks as he will be outlining the very soon, dreaded arrival of the Asian Hornet that is a major threat to Bees. Ian and Ruth Homer will guide us through frame exchange techniques, The RHS will show us how to attract bees and there are 3 workshops...our famous ploughman's lunch is included in the £16.