Oompetesbees

01/02/2026

Honey from both the Loskop (Bushveld) sites and very rich Buffelsdrift /Roodeplaat site honey will be available at next weekends Honey show at Heckers. Like it is this weekend at both the Heckers market and the popup at blue valley golf and country estate.

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.

17/01/2026

Last visit to this site was a bit of a disappoint, but was made up for yesterday. The girls, the weather and nature In general had gotten back into sync…. Seemingly. Even after raging fire at the start of the season (also part of nature).

Mike was quicker on the draw with the camera so thanks Mike!

Of the 10 hives, 2 had absconded but re colonised since our last visit, and whilst our girls are lodgers in this luxury apartment building in the bush, we have a high number of uninvited guests…. Large hive beatle are a pest we and the girls have to contend with in veld areas. Its not often however one sees the destruction they cause so clearly…
One could almost say they have been watching us clearing veld or rain forests….. and adopted our tactic of destroy everything in our path…

15/01/2026

https://facebook.com/events/s/honey-bee-show-heckers-garden-/1458565869610926/

Well worth diarising the dates! Be great to see you there …

15/01/2026

But before then I will be at heckers on 31 Jan - 1 Feb )for growers amkers and healers) and 7-8 Feb (for th first of 5 EHBA Honey shows this year) https://facebook.com/events/s/honey-bee-show-heckers-garden-/1458565869610926/

22/12/2025

Awesome informative video for the public 👍

Ever opened a jar of honey and found it thick, cloudy, or grainy while another bottle stays perfectly clear and runny? In this video, we dive into the natura...

05/12/2025

https://www.msn.com/en-za/news/other/sa-crackdown-on-fake-honey-here-s-how-to-spot-the-fraud/ar-AA1RIzGz?ocid=socialshare

An operation in the Eastern Cape is helping to clear South Africa of fake honey products that risk consumers' health and cheat local beekeepers. The post SA crackdown on fake honey: Here’s how to spot the fraud… appeared first on SA People.

20/11/2025

So we go from not having a Chimney removal for a while, to one almost every night🫣🫣. This one wednesady night has been a pain in the neck, arm and just about everywhere else….🫣🤣🤣. A realy hectic hive was a problem for the new owners of the property. We see now it has been there for many years…

A very otherwise hive when first approached. So, as access was not easy, i decided to trap them out…. Managed to set up the initial cone with only minor irritation. But so big was the field force that they bent the cone in the first couple of days… Armed with the bee vac to take away the guards…. And a substantial number of bees trapped outside i approached at dusk, vacuumed and reinforced the cone.

The volume of bees always seems to add to their determination to stay in the home they have created…. Then These clever girls figured out how a trapout cone works and found the way back in. Another visit lengthened the cone…..
Just days later, no good! they bent the extension to the cone🫣🫣🫣😵‍💫 as well…. time to consider alternatives.

It’s now been a while, we have decreased the workforce (and combined them into another weaker hive). We make an appointment for the removal of the chimney…. Warn the neighbours, and approach with caution… and it’s like like butter would not melt in their mouths…🤔🫢.

Very few bees wanting to kill us any more in fact none… very subdued bunch of girls…. Which did assit in the process of dismantling the chimney sections…. Even when we lifted the 1.2 meter top section….. no reactions….

With the top section removed and laid flat on the roof we can access the remaining comb in the chimney section within the roof… extending about 70cms down we release and remove the lower sections (containing the brood) and mount it in our brood box. No eggs and all brood of at least 7 days old. We suspect all the messing with them has caused a swarm off. But then we find them cowering way down in the chimney well below the last bits of comb.
A good number were chased out with a jimmy juice bomb but not all by any means. So we remount the brood box, put the vacuumed bees back on the brood and let them regroup at their own speed.
Bless em!

Remarkable their change in attitude now numbers are reduced.

20/11/2025

Quite a long read but a great demonstration of the enthusiasm of a new beekeeper and a parent rejoicing in a solution to happier screen time limitations…
I design and manufacture custom build observation bee hives for inside or out. Be it a private space or an educational facility…. A retail outlet or a specialised Bee related store.

I came across this article…./ advert…

https://www.facebook.com/share/1KibyX7X5v/?mibextid=wwXIfre

08/11/2025

07/11/2025

07/11/2025

At the bonsai, succulent and plant show at Killarney mall for the weekend… giving a talk at 10:30 on Sunday. Check some amazing plants. I never realised we had a local carnivorous plant… and what a beautiful thing it is….

06/11/2025

At Killarney mall this weekend. Awsome exhibits.