Category Archives: Apiary visits

ONBG meeting, July 2020: a Bee Tea at Dee Cottage

Posted on July 20, 2020 by Paul

This was the first ONBG gathering this year as our normal annual cycle of events was interrupted by lockdown. Our last meeting was in October last year! Precautions were taken: access to handwash, masks, social distancing, everyone took their own … Continue reading →

Posted in Apiary visits, Hives, Meetings, Swarms, TBH, Wax | Tagged , | 1 Comment

ONBG meeting, October 2019: Hive envy!

Posted on November 9, 2019 by Paul

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 →

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Convergent theories

Posted on September 17, 2019 by Paul

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 →

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

Posted on August 19, 2019 by Paul

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 Paul

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 →

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ONBG meeting, 6th April 2019 – TBHs

Posted on April 12, 2019 by Paul

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, 22nd Sept 2018 – hive hacks and natural selection

Posted on September 30, 2018 by Paul

16 beekeepers clustered at Gareth’s house (warm and dry) and his experimental apiary (damp and chilly) to discuss bees and eat cake. Gareth, who’s kept bees since at least the 1970’s, recounted experiences from the recent Learning for the Bees … Continue reading →

Posted in Apiary visits, Experimentation, Hives, Honey, Honey bee research, Local lore, Meetings, Pests, Stings, Warré | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments