Category Archives: Honey bee research

Book review: Treatment Free Beekeeping, by David Heaf

Posted on February 9, 2021 by Paul

Rigorous metastudy marshals the evidence and pushes the debate forward Published by Northern Bee Books and IBRA, 2021. £24.95 / US$30, 119 pages, ISBN 978-1-913811-00-6 This is a seminal work – the first comprehensive review of treatment free (TF) beekeeping … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, Experimentation, Honey bee research, Publications, Research | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

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 is coming

Posted on November 7, 2020 by Paul

The Winter Cycle It’s getting cold at night – time to fit mouse guards! You may see dark stains or frost on landing boards early in the morning – this is the humid breath of the hive condensing as it … Continue reading →

Posted in Honey bee research, Uncategorized | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

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

Learning from the Bees, Berlin – bees au naturel!

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Paul

The second international Learning from the Bees conference featured a recurring theme: bees in trees. It left two lasting impressions on me: It will influence German beekeeping for years to come, catalysing the spread of natural beekeeping; A paradigm-changing insight … 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

Meditations on the Learning from the Bees conference

Posted on November 8, 2018 by Paul

At the end of August the world’s first major international gathering of natural beekeepers, Learning from the Bees, took place in the Netherlands. The atmosphere had a festival vibe and concentrated on healthy bees and improving the environment, rather than … Continue reading →

Posted in Ecology, Experimentation, Honey bee research, Log hive, Pesticides, Research, Skeps, Sun Hive, TBH, Warré | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments