Tag: Randy Oliver

Physics in winter cluster - diagram
6 Dec 21 Walrus

Broodnest In The Cold

Source: Randy Oliver Not many beekeepers pull brood frames out of their hives in the middle of winter. Whilst this is not surprising, given the risks, it does mean that we tend to imagine what's going on inside the hive.…
Winter
Steve Donohoe and Elaine Bousfield taking a break in Argyll
18 Feb 20 Walrus

Give us a Break

Mr & Mrs W taking a break in Argyll Somebody asked me yesterday, "what makes a good beekeeper?" I don't know if I'm qualified to answer that, but what I said was, "If you can keep your bees alive from…
Beginning Beekeeping
Walrus on a bee cartoon emoji
16 Jan 20 Walrus

Soul Walrus

Walrus on a bee We recently took delivery of a piano. My wife saw it in Forsyth’s in Manchester and, having declared it to be a lifelong dream to learn to play, persuaded me that such purchase made perfect sense.…
Steve Donohoe
Photo of Management Guru Peter F Drucker
29 Dec 19 Walrus

If Peter Drucker kept Bees

Management Guru Peter F Drucker Peter Drucker The legendary management consultant, Peter Drucker, may well have kept bees; I don't know. He certainly made a vast contribution to twentieth-century management theory, and I'm sure his influence will stretch far into…
Planning
Murray McGregor shows a winter cluster
14 Nov 19 Walrus

Winter Survival

Murray McGregor shows a winter cluster How this Walrus does it I harvested my last honey in August and treated for mites as soon as the honey supers were off. This works for me. Many beekeepers leave the harvest until…
Winter
Steve Donohoe with Frame of Sealed Brood
20 Aug 19 Walrus

Pragmatism or Xenophobia?

Frame of Sealed Brood Beekeeping is Local Maybe I am naive or just positive and optimistic, but I'm sure that to many people I have some dangerously liberal ideas. For a start, I deliberately travelled all over the place to…
Steve Donohoe
The Kyles of Bute from Anchorage House
9 Jul 19 Walrus

Science Vs. Experience

The Kyles of Bute I love science. I've even got a chemistry degree, but don't ask me about it because that was over thirty years ago. As soon as I left university, I went to the City to do accountancy.…
Swarming
Hazel Catkins
2 Feb 19 Walrus

Let’s Keep Some Perspective

Pollen even in Winter Losing sleep about bees Beekeepers, especially those new to the noble art, get anxious about a multitude of factors surrounding the keeping of their bees. I know this by looking at posts on beekeeping forums and letters in the…
Beginning Beekeeping
Time to Plan (Creator:Ivelin Radkov)
5 Nov 18 Walrus

What’s Your Plan? (You need one)

I am back from my Californian adventure, which involved spending time with Ray Olivarez of Olivarez Honey Bees and Randy Oliver who runs the popular scientific beekeeping website and writes in the American Bee Journal. I learned a lot and…
Planning
Graphic showing varroa mite life cycle
30 Aug 18 Walrus

Managing the Mighty Mites

Gosh, it's been a long time since I wrote a blog post. Perhaps I have some sloth DNA somewhere in me. Maybe long ago a wayward walrus mated with a sloth and generations later the characteristics of our three-toed slow-moving…
Pests and Diseases