- 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
Saturday 15th July, Oxford – rooftop apiary
Twitter: @OxNatBees
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Recent Blog Posts
- Summer starvation warning June 17, 2017
- ONBG meeting, 13th May 2017 – swarms and exotic hives June 7, 2017
- Bees in trees May 29, 2017
- The ‘other’ bees: Steven Falk workshop May 22, 2017
- Cob beehive – an experimental top-bar hive adaption May 5, 2017
- Adapting to foundationless frames in a National hive May 2, 2017
- The Bee Meeting: North Tawton and South Leigh April 8, 2017
- ONBG meeting, 1st April 2017 – an emergency cut-out April 4, 2017
- Spreading the Bee Buzz #11 – Starting Beekeeping March 29, 2017
- Two swarms in the same hive: an update March 22, 2017
- ONBG meeting, 12 March 2017 March 14, 2017
- Beginners start here March 2, 2017
- Angry bees February 16, 2017
- Winter forage February 8, 2017
- Calm bees February 5, 2017
- Spreading the Bee Buzz #10 – Surviving Winter February 2, 2017
- Modelling a Beehive January 30, 2017
- “How many bees?” January 30, 2017
- Open mating and genetics – Drones January 14, 2017
- Bees nest in a tree (not quite) January 12, 2017
Category Archives: ONBG
ONBG meeting, 13th May 2017 – swarms and exotic hives
Eighteen folk met at Gareth’s apiary in West Oxfordshire, where he experiments with hive variations and populates them with free mated bees descended from the extensive population of local ferals. Gareth is a trustee of the Natural Beekeeping Trust, has … Continue reading
Posted in Apiary visits, Experimentation, Hives, Meetings, ONBG, Swarms, Warré
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Adapting to foundationless frames in a National hive
Will uses National hives in Oxford, and has successfully been adapting them to low-intervention beekeeping principles. He writes about his successes and learning experiences on his blog, Oxford Bees. It is a good guide to how to start blending natural … Continue reading
The Bee Meeting: North Tawton and South Leigh
In 1962 Sylvia Plath wrote The Bee Meeting, a poem in which she describes her experience of attending a meeting of beekeepers in North Tawton, a village in Devon. Last weekend, fifty-five years later, the Oxfordshire Natural Beekeeping Group gathered … Continue reading
Posted in Books, Event, Hives, Meetings, ONBG, Publications, Uncategorized
Tagged "Bee Meeting", Plath, poetry
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ONBG meeting, 1st April 2017 – an emergency cut-out
Ten of us gathered at Rachel’s home to rescue an endangered feral nest from the wall of a building about to be demolished, relocating it to her Warré hive. The bees had been living in a cavity behind a bricked-up … Continue reading
ONBG meeting, 12 March 2017
A Newbee special We gathered at the Marsh Harrier pub in Oxford on a Sunday afternoon to discuss beekeeping with some interested “newbees” who were seriously considering keeping bees themselves. It’s remarkable how bees spark discussion: just carrying in a … Continue reading
Posted in Apiary visits, Hives, Meetings, Members, ONBG, Pests, TBH
Tagged Beginner, Newbee
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Beginners start here
The first OxNatBees meeting of 2017 will be at the Marsh Harrier Pub in Oxford at 2pm on Sunday 12th of March. The main focus will be on discussing plans for the coming year. There will also be some ‘pre-beginners’ who … Continue reading
ONBG meeting – and a Christmas quiz!
On a freezing November night, ten folk gathered in the Victoria Arms in Oxford to review 2016’s beekeeping and discuss our plans for the coming year. Paul unveiled a surprise test… er, quiz…
