- 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
To be announced
Twitter: @OxNatBees
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Recent Blog Posts
- Preparing for swarm season April 4, 2020
- Covid-19: evolution in action March 31, 2020
- A new hive design: the Drayton hive February 27, 2020
- Victorian Twitterstorms February 4, 2020
- 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
Category Archives: Swarms
Preparing for swarm season
Swarms begin around late April in Oxfordshire, first in the warmer southern part and the heat islands of the towns and cities, then a couple of weeks later in the rural parts. In earlier years we’ve written on this blog … Continue reading
Covid-19: evolution in action
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.
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
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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
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