Category Archives: Books

Lore of the Honey Bee

Posted on July 30, 2017 by

I’ve been looking at an old bee book, The Lore of the Honey Bee by Tickner Edwardes. There’s almost nothing in it of relevance to us because he was what we’d call a conventional beekeeper, and the book was written … Continue reading →

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The ‘other’ bees: Steven Falk workshop

Posted on May 22, 2017 by

A few months ago, the news was filled with stories about intelligent bumblebees. New research showed that they could learn to pull strings and play football. As a ‘bee’ person I was interested, but I had a strange feeling that … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Ecology, Uncategorized | 6 Comments

The Bee Meeting: North Tawton and South Leigh

Posted on April 8, 2017 by

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 , , | 1 Comment

Two swarms in the same hive: an update

Posted on March 22, 2017 by

Last summer, I wrote about the arrival of two swarms into the same hive. A wild swarm had settled in the empty top-bar-hive in my garden, and a week later a second swarm moved in. The arrival of this second swarm … Continue reading →

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Pertwood farm visit, 13th August 2016

Posted on August 20, 2016 by

Eight of the ONBG headed to Wiltshire to visit the first tree hive to be setup in the UK. This is at Pertwood farm, a source of excellent muesli. Lower Pertwood Farm is a 2,100 acre farm that has been organic for … Continue reading →

Posted in Apiary visits, Books, Hives, ONBG, pollen, Publications, Skeps | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Keeping bees in trees – new article, book and hive

Posted on April 27, 2016 by

The ancient art of tree-based beekeeping, whether that is in a hollow tree or in a log hive, is becoming more popular. This article in today’s Telegraph online newspaper gives a good basic introduction to the subject, talking with the … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Hives, Log hive, Newspaper articles, Publications | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Book review: Michael Bush on “organic” beekeeping and varroa control

Posted on January 20, 2014 by

The Practical Beekeeper – Beekeeping Naturally by Michael Bush The author runs 200 Langstroth and a few Top Bar hives in Nebraska and has become known as something of a guru in US circles, where he follows an “organic” beekeeping … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, TBH | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments