Not everything in beekeeping fits neatly into a management category. This section is for the wider conversation: interviews with beekeepers whose experience and methods are worth hearing about, reflections on the culture and contradictions of the beekeeping world, and the occasional long look at where the craft is heading and why. It includes pieces on how beekeeping advice is made and how to evaluate it critically — a recurring theme here, given how quickly new ideas can sweep through the community without much scrutiny.
If you want to understand the thinking behind the practical posts elsewhere on this site, this is a good place to look. Beekeeping is more interesting when you engage with the ideas and the arguments, not just the techniques. There are plenty of places online to find out how to do things; this category is more concerned with why.
When I started interviewing beekeepers and passing on their stories and wisdom, I was not the first nor the last to do this; there are loads of people at it. In fact, it’s a growing phenomenon, particularly on YouTube, as content creators seek content (funnily enough) for their channels. After I release a book (it’s … Read more
Hopefully, if you are reading this at around the time it was posted, you are having some time away from work and enjoying time with family and friends over the holiday season. I’m quite anti-social, not really a Christian (I don’t follow any religion, but try to be spiritual), and a person who abstains from … Read more
The centennial National Honey Show event took place in October 2023, at Sandown Park, in Esher. I managed to grab Randy Oliver for a quick chat over lunch at the nearby Subway. I had something called a ‘Tuna Kahuna’ and coffee. I squeezed my walrus frame into a corner opposite Randy, who was wearing the … Read more
How to maximise your honey crop A new beekeeping book seems to get published every week, so I have joined the party alongside my co-author, Paul Horton. Our new book, Healthy Bees, Heavy Hives — How to maximise your honey crop is likely to be out in February 2024. We miss the crazy Christmas rush, … Read more
Now that most of my beekeeping work for this season has finished, and my book manuscript is off to the publishers, tax return information sent off, BFA magazine printed … I can start to think about writing blog posts again. I’m using those other things as an excuse, of course. Really, I was just having … Read more
When I was between the ages of five and ten years old, I was labelled a “genius” and a “prodigy” by several of my teachers because everything came easy. Once I went to secondary school, it soon became apparent that I was neither of those things; I had just been a slightly quicker developer than … Read more
My favourite place in the world may not appeal to everyone. A seven hour journey to get to a house that’s always a little cold (even with bright sunshine outside), followed by sleep on a mattress that is not walrus-approved. The nearest supermarket is an hour away, and the local store is sparsely stocked, and … Read more
This morning, Mrs Walrus MBE made a quip about where I might be “on the spectrum,” indicating that it is probably some way along. Although this was partially in jest, it was possibly a tactic to divert attention from her undiagnosed, but obvious to all, attention deficit issues. Ha! Touché. Nowadays, it’s cool to have … Read more