The basics are not always as basic as they seem. This category covers the foundational knowledge that underpins everything else in beekeeping — colony biology, bee behaviour, the role of the queen, how bees communicate, and why colonies do what they do at different times of year. It is also where you will find posts that examine what “good practice” actually means and where the received wisdom of UK beekeeping holds up under scrutiny and where it does not.
These posts are written for beekeepers who want to understand what is happening in the hive, not just follow a checklist. That said, beginners who are serious about learning the biology alongside the practice will find plenty here. A beekeeper who understands why a colony behaves in a particular way is a better beekeeper than one who has simply memorised the right response. Understanding the fundamentals is how you develop judgement, and judgement is what beekeeping actually runs on.
Beekeeping, eh? What’s it all about? I’m sure there are many answers to that question, but I’m going to talk about myself, as that way, hopefully, I can’t annoy too many people. The following is to provide the big picture: successful beekeeping, according to this walrus. Doesn’t really matter why I have my reasons for … Read more
Many thanks to those of you who completed the survey that I posted on here a few weeks ago. Several people got halfway through then bailed out, which isn’t surprising as it wasn’t the most straightforward thing to fill out; apologies for that – must do better. As expected, most people were from UK & … Read more
We all have our favourites, don’t we? There are the books we refer to again and again because they contain so much wisdom, and the ones we love because they remind us of a golden era in history. Here are the ten best books on beekeeping (in my opinion): 1. Honey Farming – R.O.B Manley … Read more
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!
Find out how maths can transform your beekeeping I am no maths (‘math’ in the USA) genius, but I do like to mess about on a spreadsheet. The magic happens when data and calculations morph into a chart that conveys something useful. I have fiddled with plotting honey bee colony numbers over the season more … Read more
Beekeeping Tips From A Walrus 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 know that will probably help. At this point, I’m assuming that you have bought your hive(s) and installed bees, so what now? Patience, Young Padawan … Read more
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 are the results:
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 on such a course, you don’t need me, but maybe you are not doing the classes and still want to start … Read more