Beekeeping Archives - The Walrus and the Honey Bee

Mike Palmer's Cell Builder Apiary in Vermont

Two Colonies In One: A Proven Way To Increase Honey Production

Big Colonies There are many ways to skin a cat, apparently, and the same is true of beekeeping (many ways to do it). I don't understand why anyone would want to skin a cat. It seems harsh, even if cats…

23 Jan 23 Walrus

In Praise Of The Great C.L. Farrar

C.L. Farrar, Department of Economics University of Wisconsin I have a soft spot for certain wise personalities from the past, such as R.O.B Manley. It’s with this in mind that I wanted to write something in praise of the great…

Murray McGregor with some hives at a winter site

16 Jan 23 Walrus

The Big Picture: Successful Beekeeping

Murray McGregor with some hives at a winter site 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…

30 Dec 22 Walrus

Reader Survey Results 2022

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;…

18 Dec 22 Walrus

The Ten Best Books On Beekeeping

Some of my favourite books 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…

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!…

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…

10 Aug 22 Walrus

Murphy’s Law Applies To Bees

Kieler mating nucs Some Of My Beekeeping Mistakes Murphy's Law - "If anything can go wrong, it will" - comes from a chap in the US Air Force in the 1940s. He was involved in testing new engineering designs. Perhaps…

18 Jul 22 Walrus

Latest Events Of Note

Chickens in a tree Latest Walrus News I don't know why, but this tickled me. A couple of enterprising chickens managed to hop onto the tree. They were furiously pecking at the green leaves, the only green things available at…

10 Jul 22 Walrus

Have I Lost My Queen?

Where's the brood gone? They Are Not Necessarily Queenless When I was a beginner beekeeper, I thought I knew most things about the noble art of 'bee bothering', but I was wrong. In my case, the beginner years were the…

Barrels of stored honey - Olivarez Honey Bees

14 Feb 22 Walrus

Achieve More For Less

Barrels of honey at Olivarez Honey Bees, Orland, California Beekeepers invest a considerable amount of money in their equipment. Hives, frames, foundation, bee suits, smokers, extractors, warming cabinets, mating nucs and so on, ad nauseam, all add up to a…

boats and reflections on water in tighnabruaich

4 Oct 21 Walrus

Whatever Floats Your Boat

Floating boats Countless beekeepers are offering their thoughts and opinions on all manner of things (I'm one of them). There are books galore, not to mention Facebook and YouTube. Hence, as with so much modern life, the challenge is information…