Category Archives: ONBG

A new hive design: the Drayton hive

Posted on February 27, 2020 by

A new hive design has just been launched by OxNatBees member Andrew Bax – the Drayton Hive. His new design consists of a deep horizontal hive which combines some of the best features of modern apicentric hive design such as … Continue reading →

Posted in Experimentation, Hives, Members | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

ONBG meeting, October 2019: Hive envy!

Posted on November 9, 2019 by

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 , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Convergent theories

Posted on September 17, 2019 by

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 , , , , | Leave a comment

ONBG+ meeting, August 2019: insulation, cavity size, Golden Hives

Posted on August 19, 2019 by

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 , , , , | 2 Comments

ONBG meeting, July 2019 – what makes a good hive?

Posted on July 25, 2019 by

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 , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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

Posted on June 16, 2019 by

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 →

Posted in Inspections, Meetings, ONBG, Swarms, TBH | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Grow, shake or drum? Transferring bees between hive types

Posted on April 26, 2019 by

Recently a question was raised on the OxNatBees members’ mailing list on how to transfer bees from one hive type to another where the bars are incompatible, in this case from a National deep brood box to a Warré. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Group Digest, Hives, ONBG, Warré | Tagged , , , , , | 1 Comment