Steve Donohoe, Author at The Walrus and the Honey Bee

Hivemaker and the Walrus

With Peter and Andrew Little I can be an anti-social walrus at times. I am currently sat alone in a beautiful apartment in Funchal Old Town, Madeira, while my wife and daughter are off exploring the island doing Levada walks…

Steve Donohoe and Elaine Bousfield at Woolacombe beach

18 Feb 18 Walrus

Life is a Gift – enjoy it!

Me and my wife at Woolacombe beach I seem to be doing a lot of travelling at the moment. It wasn’t long ago that I was in New Zealand, which is certainly “travel”, but more recently I have been doing…

13 Feb 18 Walrus

You are what you eat!

Honey Bee collecting pollen from willow It’s been a while since my last blog post, so sorry to anybody who has been struggling to get through their days without hearing about life, the universe, and bees from this corner of…

27 Jan 18 Walrus

More than Manuka

A New Zealand Honey Bee My time here in New Zealand is drawing to a close. I have managed to interview three different beekeepers and have had a great time too, plus I have picked up a bit of a…

Beautiful New Zealand scene of mountains and sea

21 Jan 18 Walrus

A long long way from home

Beautiful New Zealand It is six days since my son and I began our long journey to Christchurch, New Zealand, on the other side of the planet to our home. It was a LONG journey and even though I splashed…

14 Jan 18 Walrus

The Eternal Question

2013 Swarm How to prevent swarming? I previously wrote about some potential factors involved in the swarming of honey bees and why swarm prevention and control are so important for the beekeeper. The idea that we can prevent swarms is…

8 Jan 18 Walrus

Why do bees swarm and what do worms do?

A swarm of honey bees Before I get all technical on the beekeeping front I must share with you that I have just started a dog poo (or poop as our North American friends would say) wormery in my back…

1 Jan 18 Walrus

How are Bees like Turkeys?!

A turkey Now that the days are getting longer bees in healthy colonies will have swarming on their minds, except that they don’t have minds, but you know what I mean. Obviously they have to build up to it, so…

28 Dec 17 Walrus

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder

Hollyhock in Ulta Violet light All UV images are by Craig Burrows Karl von Frisch (November 20, 1886 – June 12, 1982) was a very clever man who received the Nobel Prize in 1973 for his work in the field…

18 Dec 17 Walrus

Schrödinger may have had a point

A Cat There is a saying which goes something like “ask 10 beekeepers the same question and you’ll get 11 different answers!” This makes things very difficult for anybody starting out as a beekeeper, which is why I would recommend…

12 Dec 17 Walrus

Taxes, Taxonomy and Tolerance

Bees clustered for winter in Scotland At this time of the year the issue of tax raises it’s grim visage, with online filing of returns having to be submitted by 31 January. I have just been sorting my tax return…

2 Dec 17 Walrus

The Queen of Queens of Blairgowrie

Jolanta with a Walrus One of the great pleasures that I derive from writing my book “Interviews with Beekeepers” is meeting the people that work with honey bees. Everybody that I have talked to on my travels so far clearly…