Steve Donohoe, Author at The Walrus and the Honey Bee

Oh to be in England, now that Balsam’s there

Ahh, peace at last. My wife and her friends have just taken our two beagles out for a walk in the nearby Chorlton Ees nature reserve, and their deafening howls can no longer be heard, by me at least. Anyone…

30 Aug 17 Walrus

Are you feeling lucky, punk?

I used to be a "striver". I was always striving for something. It never really felt that great, all that striving; it felt like I was running on one of those airport conveyor belt walkways but going the wrong way,…

20 Aug 17 Walrus

How very Vulgar

Common Wasp (Vespula vulgaris), queen As we are now in the middle of the summer holiday season there are plenty of opportunities to use my word for the day, “vulgar”. What a delicious word. Just saying it makes my walrus…

13 Aug 17 Walrus

Enter the Beekeeper

To me, the bee season never seems to last very long. I’m already thinking about winter holidays and it’s still August. Perhaps this has something to do with all the rain we have had in my area over the last…

6 Aug 17 Walrus

Total Body Workout

push in cage made from wire mesh There is an ancient symbiotic relationship between the walrus and the honeybee. We have all heard the expression, “float like a walrus, sting like a bee”, and this bond has been forged over…

brood factory nucleus colonies - Mike Palmer

30 Jul 17 Walrus

Regicide in the woods of Vermont

brood factory nucleus colonies I’m back home in Blighty after a wonderful stay in Vermont, a very pretty corner of the USA near the border with Canada which reminded me of parts of Scotland. Instead of whisky they have a…

25 Jul 17 Walrus

Comb Honey and Customs

Vermont based honey farmer and honeybee queen breeder Mike Palmer is a kind, patient and extremely knowledgeable chap. When I asked him what I could bring from the UK on my recent visit to meet him he asked for heather…

17 Jul 17 Walrus

Another sweet week goes by

Recently I visited waitbutwhy.com and downloaded a sobering document. I’m sober anyway, not having touched the product of yeast + sugar for many years, but this document jolts me into full clarity of mind. Laser focused sobriety. That could be…

9 Jul 17 Walrus

Looking forward to Vermont

I shouldn’t be surprised by this; trying to interview busy beekeepers in the middle of the beekeeping season is almost impossible. It would appear to be an activity best reserved for the winter months, when our buzzing little friends are…

29 Jun 17 Walrus

Queen rearing: first attempt

honeybee queen cell About 2 years ago I had an amazing life changing experience. Ever since I was 7 years old I had worn eye glasses and I quickly became the shy boy with massive thick goldfish bowls on his…

26 Jun 17 Walrus

A sneaky couple of nucs in the garden

I live beside a main road in South Manchester and, despite high panelled fences and a monstous privet hedge, I am very aware of the presence of neighbours on all sides. I like them. Neighbours I mean. They all seem to have small children whereas mine are adults now. Perhaps I am meant to have moved away, to the place where older people go, but for now I'm standing my ground... (click title for full post)