Category Archives: Pests

Bees Without Borders: conference report

Posted on November 23, 2020 by Paul

What: 6 lectures, mainly on wild / unmanaged bees, by European researchers titled Bees Without Borders – I attended by Zoom and the recordings have been released here. Some of the lectures were very technical. When: 21st November 2020 Who: … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Honey bee research, Pests, Research, Trends in Beekeeping | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Winter survival surveys show ‘treatment-free’ works

Posted on August 5, 2020 by Paul

Each May OxNatBees surveys our members for information on winter losses. This graph shows losses year by year, compared with other surveys. The stand-out point is that our losses for untreated hives populated by local bees (blue “ONBG” line) are … Continue reading →

Posted in Members, ONBG, Pests, Research | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Covid-19: evolution in action

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Paul

I can’t help wondering if the lockdown will make people reassess high-intervention beekeeping. This lockdown is going to exert heavy selection pressure for colonies that can fend for themselves.

Posted in Ecology, Pests, Swarms | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Apiary visits, Experimentation, Honey bee research, ONBG, Pests, Research | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Training new beeks

Posted on March 1, 2019 by Paul

In early February, we held a couple of afternoon training sessions for new beekeepers, to give them an outline of what’s involved in keeping bees in the UK. We started with basic biology, and how this drives their very alien … Continue reading →

Posted in Event, Local lore, ONBG, Pests, Skeps, TBH, Warré | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Learnings from the Learning from the Bees conference

Posted on November 27, 2018 by Paul

In my earlier post on the Learning from the Bees conference, I discussed the “who was there and what it was about” aspects. This article covers what I actually learned about bees. I always particularly enjoy lectures and books covering … Continue reading →

Posted in Pests | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

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