The Walrus and the Honey Bee

New Research Updates From The NBU

York Biotech Campus Our Regional Bee Inspector, Mark McLoughlin, hosted delegates from the various Northern BKAs at the York Biotech Campus on 11th November. The day featured presentations about new research updates from the NBU by experts in their fields.…

15 Nov 22 Walrus

Bees Drift More Than You Think

Drones are not the only bees that drift Bee Hives in New Zealand Something has been vexing me about honey bees. Two observations, both true, seem to be in direct conflict with each other: They are excellent navigators, able to…

Steve Donohoe with Interviews with Beekeepers

4 Nov 22 Walrus

Quick Survey: How Do You Keep Bees?

What Matters to You in Beekeeping? Please can you do me a huge favour? My survey: how do you keep bees won't take long; I'd really appreciate it if you could spend ten minutes answering questions about your beekeeping. Thanks!…

30 Oct 22 Walrus

Losing Queens On Mating Flights

Virgin Queens Are Not Making It Back Hives lined up beside a field I’m deep into writing a book, with the deadline approaching faster than my output of words, but it seems wrong to neglect my blog for too much…

22 Oct 22 Walrus

Crunching numbers to stay ahead of the bees

Find out how maths can transform your beekeeping Number crunching on a spreadsheet (Randy Oliver Model) I am no maths (‘math’ in the USA) genius, but I do like to mess about on a spreadsheet. The magic happens when data…

15 Oct 22 Walrus

Advice for beekeepers in their first years

Beekeeping Tips From A Walrus Wild comb made by a swarm (try to avoid this!) Just in case there are any fairly new or potential keepers of bees reading my blog, here is a quick run through of things to…

7 Oct 22 Walrus

Feeling Helpless About Surging Chronic Virus

Frightening Bee Virus Is Aptly Named A bee infected with CBPV (crown copyright - National Bee Unit) Recent Reader Poll Thank you to those kind readers who responded to my poll about the greatest challenges facing you as beekeepers. The…

28 Sep 22 Walrus

The Biggest Challenge In Beekeeping?

If I Had A Magic Wand... I have put together a brief survey of my readers - please spare a minute of your busy day to share your experience. Thanks! There was a poll here, but it's closed now. Here…

27 Sep 22 Walrus

Installing Bees For The First Time

New cedar hives in a field Moving New Bees Into Their Hive My three previous articles have been for prospective and new beekeepers because this is the time of the year when beginner classes get going. If you are enrolled…

20 Sep 22 Walrus

Your First Honey Bees

Poly nucs in autumn. They move into hives next year. How do you get your first bees? The Intolerance of Humans Newcomers to beekeeping will soon discover that there are rival factions in our ranks. One might expect that we…

15 Sep 22 Walrus

Beginner Beekeeper: What To Buy?

Cedar National Type Hives First Time Purchases For New Beekeepers Once you have decided that you really do want to become a beekeeper, you have some buying choices to make. It can get very frustrating listening to the conflicting advice…

12 Sep 22 Walrus

Look Before You Leap – Beekeeping

The Mole and The Walrus Beginning Beekeeping - Before You Start How Many Beekeepers? Look before you leap - beekeeping. The UK is home to thousands of beekeepers. Tracking down the exact number is impossible; not every beekeeper is registered…