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I've always been interested in insects, and had kept and bred various stick insects, praying mantids, beetles and other inverts. As far as I can remember I've always been fascinated by bees and ants, with bees holding the most fascination. My first contact with them properly was back in the 70s...

Yes coulnt agree more, my problem with this natural beekeeping lark though is that once you've been keeping bees longer than say 40-50 years (in one case well over 60 years!) as some of our association members have, you tend to have seen it all before, albiet given a different name. These are...

Well it make come as a surprise to all new "natural beekeepers" that what you are doing is nothing new! We had quite a few natural beekeepers in our association back in the 80's and early 90's. All of them followed very similar husbandry techniques to what you recommend. Then varroa arrived...

Isnt that what EVERY beekeeper does?. We all allow them to express their instincts, but most beekeepers then channel and manage that instinct rather than allow swarms to emminate forth every couple of days creating havoc in built up areas. I wonder how long it is going to be before this all goes...

BWAHAhahahaha..... :biggrinjester: and here was me trying to be subtle

A smoker is one of the most useful if not THE most useful tool that a beekeeper has.....if used sensibly. There is a growing trend to use less and less smoke, this is fine if you have bees that dont require it, but a lot of situations can get rapidly out of hand without application of smoke at...

Oh Dear.....I'm sorry but the thing that gets me with this sort of thing is this "us and them" stance that comes up all the time. I'm sorry but as soon as you start keeping bees in boxes of manmade origin then its not natural END OF!!!! I get sick of beekeeping organisations slating each other...

It does get a bit tiresome when anything and everything they do is pulled apart, often for some totally absurd personal pettiness. I joined this forum because I found the BBKA forum admin totally unreasonable and incapable of moderating a forum in a fair, lighthanded and unbiased way. I find...

Geoff I think you are missing the point here. The bees I went through were pretty gentle bees, and my own bees are VERY gentle, but it still isnt worth taking risks. NO ONE can truly predict what ANY colony will be like all the time. You might have the Worlds most docile bees, but there WILL...

The vegan society doesnt like ANYONE do they?? :sifone:

I'm still waiting for my tests but hoping it will be soon. I have to agree with the need for gentle bees, as are mine, but I also go helping a lot of other members of our BKA and sometimes this is with aggresive colonies. The reason gloves have been focused on so much is that these are...

Have they got any supers on?...sounds like the queen may not have enough room to start laying, theres a BIG flow on around here and the bees cant get in and out quick enough!!! If theres a good flow around where you are they just may be making the most of it and taking the easiest route of...

When I've come across colonies like that, I've kitted myself up in as many layers as it takes to make myself safe, then picked up the bad colony and moved it at least 30- 40 feet away(preferably as far as you can comfortably take it!!!), leaving a new floor,brood body, cover board and roof on...

I think the sad thing about the whole thing is that no matter what you believe, there just seems to be someone willing to drag EVERY thread on AMM wether it exists or not into their own personal soap box on why it DOESN'T or DOES exist!!! I'm pretty hacked off with BIBBA, having a long time ago...

I think that making recommendations to other beekeepers regarding their own PPE is a bit dodgy, at the end of the day I've seen bad beekeepers using no gloves and excellent beekeepers using gauntlets....each to their own....end of. At the end of the day, its our safety AS WELL as the welfare of...

I've brought apidea colonies on a few times into full sized colonies, but as PH has said time is now against you. Using a standard apidea with only three mini frames is just making things harder for yourself, go and get an apidea super and a feeder. That way you'll have a possible 10 frames to...

My drink near ended up over my monitor after seeing those pics!!!.....Nice one!!

Oh oh....now you've said it!!!........(runs for cover quickly!)

I'd like to know where the "URGENT MORGELLONS FIBERS KILL BEES IN 1:36seconds!" comes into it!!! It was in there for at least three hours according to the video! Wonder if the NHS is refering "special" people to come and register on this site to stop them pestering hospitals??? :biggrinjester:

I hardly think keeping a bee in a glass for a good few hours without food and in with loads of rubbish is good research!!!. I think anyone could kill a bee like that very quickly if they were cruel enough. doesnt even look like a honeybee!!!, then she goes on to show pictures of wasps, bumbles...