Author Archives: Paul

At the village fete

Posted on June 30, 2019

We were asked to demo “bees” at our local village fete, so Keith and I obliged with a stand displaying various Stuff for people to touch, smell etc and answered Questions. The organisers had originally assumed that we were going … Continue reading →

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Learning from the Bees Conference, Berlin

Posted on June 24, 2019

A quick plug for the next LfB conference! – When: August 30th – September 1st Where: Berlin What: an international symposium of natural beekeepers and like minded individuals Why: Hear cutting edge research from top bee scientists. Network with fascinating … Continue reading →

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ONBG meeting, 15th June 2019 – TBHs, Freedom hives and a surprise swarm

Posted on June 16, 2019

Fifteen of us met in a beautiful cottage hidden near the middle of Oxford. The plan was to have lunch, inspect Top Bar Hives and see a nearby Freedom Hive, and we managed to meet these targets due to skillful … Continue reading →

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Swarm stories

Posted on June 2, 2019

Here’s some things our group has learned, from over 120 swarm collections over several years: what went right…. and what went wrong! First though – what are swarms? – Within each hive is a queen who lays eggs which become … Continue reading →

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ONBG meeting, 6th April 2019 – TBHs

Posted on April 12, 2019

15 of us converged at Zuzana’s to see her Top Bar Hive, and particularly how to move bars around an occupied hive to make room for the nest to expand. This is necessary in large, established colonies in this type … Continue reading →

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ONBG meeting, 9th March 2019 – new season, new faces!

Posted on March 30, 2019

Fifteen of us gathered at Mary’s in Oxford to share a meal, view her hives, and discuss bees and particularly preparation for the forthcoming swarm season. Spring has begun early this year and beekeepers are wondering if it is a … Continue reading →

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Training new beeks

Posted on March 1, 2019

In early February, we held a couple of afternoon training sessions for new beekeepers, to give them an outline of what’s involved in keeping bees in the UK. We started with basic biology, and how this drives their very alien … Continue reading →

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