Category: Beekeeping

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The Lesson from the Hive

Of all the people making a living from climate change, George Monbiot is one of the better known. Like many in the fundraising sector, however, he is hired as much for his heart as...

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The Politics of Beekeeping

“What is your opinion about colony collapse disorder, and what is Monsanto’s role in it?”  I was asked this, or something very like it, repeatedly one morning last month, as I impostered behind the...

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Is Honey Good for Bees?

Not all flowers give up their nectar graciously. Some of them include doses of poisons. Nicotine and caffeine, for example, are both insecticides, but can be found in the nectar of some plants. Thymol...

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Stings and Reactions

There’s a lot been written about sting reactions, and whether we should take antihistamines before beekeeping, carry adrenalin-injecting epipens or undertake desensitization treatment. This all looks frightening and bothersome, so I’ve been thinking about...

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Temperament

If there’s been a theme to this season, so far, it’s been grumpiness. I can’t think of a year when I’ve heard of, or met, so many colonies turning grumpy and starting to sting...

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Bouncing Bees

There you are, stood by your hive, trying to see if you’ve done your hat up properly and whether the smoker’s still alight and what might be happening at or around the entrance and...

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Beards, Boards and Book Thieves

In the first years of beekeeping, when you might have a spare hive to hand, and the space to put it, the Pagden method of swarm management looks simple and achievable. It also offers...

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On Nosema

Many years ago, I trained for what turned out to be a brief and fruitless career in teaching.  One of the few things from that training that stuck to my reluctant mind was the...

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February Thoughts

This time of year, though it’s cold, wet and miserable, is a metaphorically sunny one for beekeepers. For it’s far too early to be bothered with doing anything, and although those rueful lists of...