- ONBG (OxNatBees) is an informal mutual support network for beginners and experienced beeks who aspire to practise bee-centric, low intervention, and chemical-free beekeeping in Oxfordshire. To join the group and share ideas, questions, information and experiences, please use this site's Contact Us form.
Next ONBG Meeting
Saturday 9th September, Steeple Aston – Warres, TBHs, feral colonies and preparation for winter
Twitter: @OxNatBees
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Recent Blog Posts
- Lore of the Honey Bee July 30, 2017
- ONBG meeting, 15th July 2017 – a rooftop apiary July 24, 2017
- OxNatBees exhibit at RSA Motivate July 14, 2017
- ‘Inspecting’ your bees – the low-intervention way July 5, 2017
- Neonicotinoids implicated again June 29, 2017
- Summer starvation warning June 17, 2017
- ONBG meeting, 13th May 2017 – swarms and exotic hives June 7, 2017
- Bees in trees May 29, 2017
- The ‘other’ bees: Steven Falk workshop May 22, 2017
- Cob beehive – an experimental top-bar hive adaption May 5, 2017
- Adapting to foundationless frames in a National hive May 2, 2017
- The Bee Meeting: North Tawton and South Leigh April 8, 2017
- ONBG meeting, 1st April 2017 – an emergency cut-out April 4, 2017
- Spreading the Bee Buzz #11 – Starting Beekeeping March 29, 2017
- Two swarms in the same hive: an update March 22, 2017
- ONBG meeting, 12 March 2017 March 14, 2017
- Beginners start here March 2, 2017
- Angry bees February 16, 2017
- Winter forage February 8, 2017
- Calm bees February 5, 2017
Category Archives: Books
Lore of the Honey Bee
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
The ‘other’ bees: Steven Falk workshop
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
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 "Bee Meeting", Plath, poetry
1 Comment
Two swarms in the same hive: an update
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
Posted in Books, Hives, Swarms, TBH
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Pertwood farm visit, 13th August 2016
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 tree hives, Zeidler hive
3 Comments
Keeping bees in trees – new article, book and hive
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 book, Hives, log hives, tree hives
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Book review: Michael Bush on “organic” beekeeping and varroa control
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
