Local Bees?
There are some confusing messages out there in beekeeper-land regarding bee types, imports and so forth. In a world where the news that gets picked up is the one delivered in the loudest voice, sometimes accepted truths are just opinions. Nothing wrong with opinions, I have a few […]
The best laid plans…
This summer I was going to be staying with Mike & Lesley Palmer in Vermont, followed by a road trip to Toronto via Niagra Falls. Alas COVID intervened. Instead, we bundled into the car (farting beagle too) and drove up to Tighnabruaich, on the Kyles of Bute, Scotland. […]
What do you want?
I need a new project! I’m thinking of doing one particular beekeeping topic in great depth, drawing on the expertise of experienced beekeepers and also the literature. Please can you let me know what you think by answering the poll? POLL CLOSED
Navigation Issues
At the risk of revealing my grumpy old man tendencies, I shall describe a series of unfortunate events which unfolded earlier today. Perhaps somebody will identify with circumstances like these when multiple small problems cluster together to make a GIANT ***storm! I had entered a local honey show […]
Livestock Superpowers: Farm Animals’ Most Spectacular Traits — David Wilson journalism
Not all heroes wear capes. These ones wear nothing at all. Read at Modern Farmer. https://modernfarmer.com/2019/09/livestock-superpowers-farm-animals-most-spectacular-traits/
Mistakes!
In beekeeping, as in life, everybody makes mistakes. Even bees occasionally make them. The hard part is owning up to them. Douglas Adams said, “a common mistake that people make when trying to design something foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” I hate the fact […]
Bee Farmers: What do you fear?
Extracts from my interviews with bee farmers about the main threats to their livelihood
Are Your Queens Majestic?
Anybody who has been reading my blog for a while will no doubt form the view that I am obsessed with queens. I’m talking about queen honey bees, not what you were thinking, you smutty vermin. The queen bee is not the ruler of her hive, as some […]
What do bees do in Winter?
Did you know that honey bees are experts at managing the temperature inside their colony? There are even “heater bees” who act like little radiators, applying their heat as required. They vibrate their wing muscles vigorously in order to generate the heat, which, as you can see from […]
