- ONBG (OxNatBees) is an informal mutual support network for beginners and experienced beeks who aspire to practise bee-centric, low intervention, and chemical-free beekeeping in Oxfordshire. To join the group and share ideas, questions, information and experiences, please use this site's Contact Us form.
Next ONBG Meeting
Sunday 27th Oct, Steeple Aston
Twitter: @OxNatBees
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Recent Blog Posts
- ONBG meeting, October 2019: Hive envy! November 9, 2019
- Convergent theories September 17, 2019
- Learning from the Bees, Berlin – bees au naturel! September 11, 2019
- ONBG+ meeting, August 2019: insulation, cavity size, Golden Hives August 19, 2019
- ONBG meeting, July 2019 – what makes a good hive? July 25, 2019
- At the village fete June 30, 2019
- Learning from the Bees Conference, Berlin June 24, 2019
- ONBG meeting, 15th June 2019 – TBHs, Freedom hives and a surprise swarm June 16, 2019
- Swarm stories June 2, 2019
- Grow, shake or drum? Transferring bees between hive types April 26, 2019
- ONBG meeting, 6th April 2019 – TBHs April 12, 2019
- ONBG meeting, 9th March 2019 – new season, new faces! March 30, 2019
- New adventures March 3, 2019
- Training new beeks March 1, 2019
- Moving hives less than 3 miles February 21, 2019
- ONBG Meeting, 1st Dec 2018 – insulation and instrumentation December 30, 2018
- Learnings from the Learning from the Bees conference November 27, 2018
- Meditations on the Learning from the Bees conference November 8, 2018
- Hive insulation using cork October 27, 2018
- ONBG meeting, 22nd Sept 2018 – hive hacks and natural selection September 30, 2018
Author Archives: Paul
ONBG meeting, October 2019: Hive envy!
17 folk converged on a north Oxfordshire village to share lunch, view some stunning and unusual hives, discuss When Honey Goes Wrong, and view the feral colonies round the village. Well, that was the plan. The schedule was instantly junked … Continue reading
Posted in Apiary visits, Experimentation, Hives, Honey, Meetings, ONBG, Warré, Wax
Tagged Cork, Eco Tree Hive, Einraumbeute, Feral, Ferals bees, Golden Hive, Honey, JustBeeEcoHives, Roseland Hex hive, Tree hive, Wild bees
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Convergent theories
A potential problem with a natural beekeeping group is: members never talk to conventional beekeepers. So 14 of us visited a large (80 hive) commercial apiary… with a twist. It’s run by the Swindon Honeybee Conservation Group, headed by Ron … Continue reading
Posted in Apiary visits, Experimentation, Honey bee research, ONBG, Pests, Research
Tagged breeding, hygienic bees, Ron Hoskins, Swindon, Varroa
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Learning from the Bees, Berlin – bees au naturel!
The second international Learning from the Bees conference featured a recurring theme: bees in trees. It left two lasting impressions on me: It will influence German beekeeping for years to come, catalysing the spread of natural beekeeping; A paradigm-changing insight … Continue reading
ONBG+ meeting, August 2019: insulation, cavity size, Golden Hives
The Oxfordshire group invited members from the neighbouring Hampshire and Wye Valley natural beekeeping groups to join us for a joint meeting at Gareth’s apiary – 34 people from 7 counties converged for the session. These annual co-events allow for … Continue reading
Posted in Apiary visits, Event, Experimentation, Hives, Honey bee research, Meetings, ONBG, Research
Tagged Cork, Einraumbeute, Golden Hive, Insulation, Torben Schiffer
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ONBG meeting, July 2019 – what makes a good hive?
19 of us converged on the beautiful village of Long Crendon to discuss and admire a variety of hives built by Eric. This led to a wide ranging discussion of a plethora of hive types and their tradeoffs. Background – … Continue reading
Posted in Apiary visits, Hives, Meetings, ONBG, TBH, Warré
Tagged Chimney, copper, forage, Hemp, rewilding, TBH, Torben Schiffer, Warré
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At the village fete
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
Learning from the Bees Conference, Berlin
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
