- 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
Sunday 27th Oct, Steeple Aston
Twitter: @OxNatBees
-
Recent Blog Posts
- Top Bar Hives, warts and all January 4, 2020
- ONBG meeting, October 2019: Hive envy! November 9, 2019
- Convergent theories September 17, 2019
- Learning from the Bees, Berlin – bees au naturel! September 11, 2019
- ONBG+ meeting, August 2019: insulation, cavity size, Golden Hives August 19, 2019
- ONBG meeting, July 2019 – what makes a good hive? July 25, 2019
- At the village fete June 30, 2019
- Learning from the Bees Conference, Berlin June 24, 2019
- ONBG meeting, 15th June 2019 – TBHs, Freedom hives and a surprise swarm June 16, 2019
- Swarm stories June 2, 2019
- Grow, shake or drum? Transferring bees between hive types April 26, 2019
- ONBG meeting, 6th April 2019 – TBHs April 12, 2019
- ONBG meeting, 9th March 2019 – new season, new faces! March 30, 2019
- New adventures March 3, 2019
- Training new beeks March 1, 2019
- Moving hives less than 3 miles February 21, 2019
- ONBG Meeting, 1st Dec 2018 – insulation and instrumentation December 30, 2018
- Learnings from the Learning from the Bees conference November 27, 2018
- Meditations on the Learning from the Bees conference November 8, 2018
- Hive insulation using cork October 27, 2018
Category Archives: Swarms
ONBG meeting, 15th June 2019 – TBHs, Freedom hives and a surprise swarm
Fifteen of us met in a beautiful cottage hidden near the middle of Oxford. The plan was to have lunch, inspect Top Bar Hives and see a nearby Freedom Hive, and we managed to meet these targets due to skillful … Continue reading
Swarm stories
Here’s some things our group has learned, from over 120 swarm collections over several years: what went right…. and what went wrong! First though – what are swarms? – Within each hive is a queen who lays eggs which become … Continue reading
Posted in Swarms
2 Comments
ONBG meeting, 9th March 2019 – new season, new faces!
Fifteen of us gathered at Mary’s in Oxford to share a meal, view her hives, and discuss bees and particularly preparation for the forthcoming swarm season. Spring has begun early this year and beekeepers are wondering if it is a … Continue reading
Where are all the swarms this year?
The bees in this area have been acting very unusually this season: firstly high mortality at the end of winter, and now far fewer swarms than usual. We’ve been discussing this amongst ourselves and here are some preliminary conclusions.
ONBG meeting, 20th May 2018 – TBHs and tall tales
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 hornet, TBH
Leave a comment
ONBG meeting, 21 April 2018: swarms, and learning from mistakes
Lured by chocolate brownies, ten of us gathered at Brian and Faith’s house in Summertown to prepare for the impending swarm season, view their hives, and meet like minded enthusiasts. Below, are our checklist for swarm catching, descriptions of Brian’s … Continue reading
ONBG meeting, 10th March 2018 – overwintering, pests, crime and apps
Our first meeting of the year was at the Marsh Harrier pub in Oxford: 16 people dropped by to chat. Discussion ranged over how our hives had fared over winter; floor debris advice for newbees; problems with badgers; Small Hive … Continue reading
Posted in Meetings, Pesticides, Pests, Swarms
Tagged acute paralysis virus, apps, Badgers, SHB, small hive beetle, theft
2 Comments
