NectrX

Crafted by Bees, Curated by Nature

Beekeeping. Local biodiversity. A journey in progress.

A Scottish Beekeeping Journey

Welcome to NectrX, a personal beekeeping project documenting the development of a small apiary near Linlithgow in Central Scotland.From establishing new honey bee colonies and learning the rhythms of the beekeeping season to queen rearing, colony management and preparing bees for the Scottish winter, NectrX follows the realities of keeping bees — one season at a time.

About NectrX

Bees. Biodiversity. And everything I learn along the way.

The person behind NectrX

I'm Alan — a butcher by trade, a beekeeper by choice, and the person behind NectrX.

For years I joked that, with the amount of milk and honey my kids went through, I'd either have to keep cattle or bees to save some money.By early 2025 I'd spent enough time watching other people keep bees and decided it was time to have a go myself. My wife had suggested I needed something new to focus on — although I'm not sure she realised that would involve hives, bee suits, thousands of bees and quite how expensive beekeeping can become.

So much for saving money on honey.

Three second-hand hives and a beekeeping course later, there was no going back.

More than keeping bees

What started as an interest in honey bees has become about much more than what happens inside the hive.Beekeeping has changed the way I look at the landscape around me. I notice what's flowering, where the bees are finding forage and how those sources change as the seasons move on.It's also taught me that bees rarely follow the plan you had in mind. Every colony is different, and just when you think you've worked something out, they'll throw you another curveball.That's a big part of what keeps me interested — observing, learning and trying to make the right decision for the colony in front of me.NectrX is still at the beginning of its story, but the direction is becoming clearer.

It started with bees. I'm interested to see where they take me.

Life at the NectrX apiary

Bees. Seasons. Successes, mistakes and everything I'm learning along the way.

Monthly updates from the apiary

Follow the colonies, the changing seasons and everything I’m learning along the way. One honest update each month.

MEET THE HIVES

WBC 14×12 | Standard National | WBC Standard

Preparing the hives for autumn

Summer fades, preparation begins.

Late August marks a change of focus at the apiary. With brood still present, attention is beginning to turn towards stores, feeding and preparing the colonies for the months ahead.

Meet Black Betty

The queen with a little attitude.

Black Betty is queen of our National hive — a strong, productive colony with plenty of character. Calm enough from the outside, but once the frames start moving, her workers aren’t shy about making their feelings known.

The WBC Standard

A colony finding its feet

One of the newest colonies at NectrX, this colony is settling into its traditional WBC home and building its strength ahead of its first Scottish winter.

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Three Hives, Three Different Stories

Late summer brings a change of focus, but each colony has its own plans

Three colonies, three slightly different situations, and the beginning of the shift from summer growth towards autumn preparation.

A change in the season

Late summer is a turning point in the apiary. The colonies are still busy and the queens are still laying, but my attention is beginning to shift towards winter preparation.With three colonies developing at different stages, this inspection was about understanding what each hive needs next — because, as I'm quickly learning, the bees rarely follow the same plan.

WBC 14×12

The 14×12 has developed into a strong colony over the season, and this inspection gave me plenty of reassurance heading towards autumn.There was a good spread of capped brood along with open brood and eggs, showing that the queen is still laying well. The bees were also carrying and storing plenty of pollen and nectar, although some of the older comb from the original nuc is still in the hive.One thing I'm learning is that preparing bees for winter isn't simply about following a calendar. It's about looking at the colony in front of you and deciding what it needs.For this hive, the next step is to move from the lighter summer feed towards 2:1 syrup, helping them build the stores they'll need as we head further into autumn.

Strong brood, a laying queen and plenty of bees — exactly what I wanted to see at this point in the season.

Meet Black Betty

The National Hive

Black Betty is the queen at the heart of our Standard National colony at the NectrX apiary in Linlithgow.Named for her striking dark appearance, Betty is remarkably easy to recognise amongst thousands of workers — when she decides to make an appearance.Her colony began as a six-frame nucleus before being established in its full-sized National hive. Since then, we've been following the colony as it grows, develops and prepares for its first Scottish winter.

This is Betty's story.

Black Betty and her colony now face their next chapter: their first winter at the NectrX apiary.

Black Betty’s story with NectrX began when her colony arrived as a six-frame nucleus from AJS Honey.From those relatively modest beginnings, the colony was transferred into a full-sized Standard National hive at our Linlithgow apiary, giving the bees the space they needed to establish themselves and grow.Betty quickly earned her name from her strikingly dark appearance. Against the thousands of workers surrounding her, her long, almost black abdomen makes her particularly distinctive — although, like any queen, she can still disappear into a busy frame remarkably quickly.Since settling into their new home, the colony has been steadily developing. New comb has been introduced alongside the original nuc frames, while Betty and her workers have been building the brood nest and preparing the colony for the changing seasons.By late summer, the hive was home to a strong population of bees with brood at different stages of development — the next generation that will help carry the colony through autumn and towards winter.Some of the original darker nuc comb remains in the hive and will gradually be replaced as part of our ongoing management, rather than disrupting a productive brood nest simply to remove it.

Preparing for winter

As summer begins to give way to autumn, the focus for Black Betty’s colony is changing.The priority is no longer simply growing the colony. The bees now need to raise the healthy young workers that will carry the hive through winter, while building enough food reserves to sustain them through the colder months.Our late-August inspection found Betty’s colony in good shape, with a strong population of bees and brood at different stages of development. Fresh eggs confirmed that Betty was still actively laying, while areas of capped brood showed another generation preparing to emerge.Attention is now turning towards winter stores. as the summer nectar flow begins to slow, supplementary feeding will help the colony build the reserves it needs. We’ll continue to monitor the hive carefully, allowing enough space for Betty to keep laying while ensuring the bees have sufficient stores around them.Over the coming weeks, inspections will become less frequent as we allow the colony to organise its nest and prepare itself for winter.

For Betty and thousands of workers around her, the preparations for their first winter at NectrX are well underway.

WBC standard hive

The story so far

The colony arrived at NectrX as a nucleus and was transferred into the WBC Standard hive as part of the apiary’s expansion.Like many young colonies, its first season has been about establishment rather than honey production. The focus has been on providing the bees with the space and resources they need to build a strong brood nest and develop sufficient stores for winter.The hive contains a mixture of the original nucleus frames and newer frames that will gradually become part of a cleaner, more uniform brood box.

A new queen

The colony is headed by a mated queen introduced during the summer.Although she has proved particularly good at avoiding the beekeeper during inspections, her presence can be read through the colony itself. Eggs, developing brood and a continuing brood cycle provide the evidence that matters most.Sometimes the best sign of a queen isn’t seeing her at all — it’s seeing the work she’s left behind.

Building the colony

At this stage of the season, the priority isn’t producing a crop of honey.It’s building bees.Healthy brood, increasing stores and a colony capable of maintaining itself through the Scottish winter are far more important than filling supers.The bees are continuing to work the brood box while their food reserves are monitored carefully as summer begins to give way to autumn.

Preparing for winter

The coming weeks will be about helping the colony move from summer growth into winter preparation.Feeding will be adjusted according to the amount of stored food in the hive, while inspections will gradually become less intrusive as temperatures fall and the colony begins organising its winter nest.The aim is simple: a healthy colony, adequate stores and as little disturbance as possible before winter arrives.

What comes next?

This colony will continue to be followed through its first winter at NectrX and into spring.How strongly it emerges, how the queen performs and how quickly the colony develops next season will determine the next chapter.

Three hives. Three colonies. Three very different stories.

Monthly updates from the apiary