Map of my travels for Interviews with Beekeepers

News from UK and CA

Travels for 'Interviews with Beekeepers' Many people, myself included, find spring to be their favourite season. The arrival of snowdrops, then crocuses, blackthorn and early blossoms together with frantic pollen-collecting activity by the bees is a welcome antidote to lockdown.…
Chart 3 'Caged Queen' method

Charting Brood Breaks

Following on from my article about using brood breaks to help with varroa management, I'm going to get into 'death by charts' territory today. Regular readers will know that I'm a big fan of Randy Oliver's spreadsheet model, which can…
Steve Donohoe with a frame of honey 2020

The Mighty Pen

The author with a frame of honey When Richelieu said, "The pen is mightier than the sword," in Cardinal Richelieu (a play by Bulwer-Lytton in 1839) he was in a bit of a pickle. As a man of the cloth,…
Randy Oliver's Varroa Model

Defeating the Monster

Randy Oliver's Varroa Model Yesterday I treated all of my hives with oxalic acid vapour using a Sublimox device plugged into a generator. The generator was a gift from a friend who I have helped out with bees over the…
Hives in Winter snow

When the going gets tough…

Hives in Winter Image above copyright Mariusz Nikiciuk Here in the UK, and particularly in my corner of our emerald isle, we are accustomed to some unpleasant weather, mostly of the wet kind. A couple of years ago I picked up…