Category Archives: Apiary visits

ONBG meeting, 6th April 2019 – TBHs

Posted on April 12, 2019 by

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

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

ONBG meeting, 20th May 2018 – TBHs and tall tales

Posted on May 30, 2018 by

An anarchic group of beekeepers met on a very sunny day at Shadiya’s farm near Oxford to celebrate International Bee Day with a picnic and a peek at her Top Bar Hives. We began by discussing winter losses, which were … Continue reading →

Posted in Apiary visits, Ecology, Garden plants, Meetings, ONBG, Swarms, TBH | Tagged | Leave a comment

ONBG meeting, 9th Sept 2017 – colony personalities, and ferals

Posted on September 17, 2017 by

Eleven bee enthusiasts met in north Oxfordshire to discuss preparation for winter, look at feral colonies around a village, and discuss how colony personalities differ. This last is because we get a lot of questions from people concerned that their … Continue reading →

Posted in Apiary visits, Meetings, ONBG, Stings, TBH, Warré | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

ONBG meeting, 15th July 2017 – a rooftop apiary

Posted on July 24, 2017 by

Eight of us met atop a building in central Oxford where Will keeps six hives, a mix of Nationals and their big brother Commercials, twenty metres above street level. He blends natural and conventional beekeeping, being treatment free, using foundationless … Continue reading →

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ONBG meeting, 13th May 2017 – swarms and exotic hives

Posted on June 7, 2017 by

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 →

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ONBG meeting, 12 March 2017

Posted on March 14, 2017 by

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 , | 2 Comments