Bee keeping and WW1

[Sean.]

Does anyone have any photos, or stories about bee keeping from around the first World War? I've been asked to talk about bee keeping, and what the impact was around the time.

Any particular hives equipment invented, or used?

Thanks & regards

 

[kazmcc]

There is a good little series of videos on youtube showing beekeeping in the 30's ( I think it's the 30's, my memory sucks lol ) I think it was Muswell Metro that posted it a while back. I've just had a quick look but can't find it, I'll keep trying.

 

[kazmcc]

Found it! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7F5u7Uqt1U

EDIT: Sorry, I read that as WW2 not WW1. Still, may be of some use.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

Seen a lot of photographs on fleabay in the past - there was apparently a lot of beekeeping teaching being given to wounded soldiers no longer fit to fight. Even the Americans did it towards the end - beekeeping teaching that is.

 

[richardbees]

Even the Americans did it towards the end - beekeeping teaching that is.

jenkins

congratulations on such a fine piece of satire !

richard

 

[BeeJayBee]

Does anyone have any photos, or stories about bee keeping from around the first World War? I've been asked to talk about bee keeping, and what the impact was around the time.

Any particular hives equipment invented, or used?

There are archives of the British Bee Journal online. This one is dated 1910 https://archive.org/stream/britishbeejourna1910lond#page/n3/mode/2up

Isle of Wight Disease wasn't properly researched until after WW1, for obvious reasons. This is dated 1920/1921 https://archive.org/stream/cu31924003692633/cu31924003692633_djvu.txt

There's the "Battle of the Bees" from 1914 http://www.firstworldwar.com/battles/tanga.htm

by early afternoon the fighting had taken upon the nature of jungle skirmishing, occasionally interrupted by swarms of angry bees prevalent in the East African bush (hence the action's nick-name). One British soldier commented afterwards, "what with a bunch of n.....s firing into our backs and bees stinging our backsides, things were a bit 'ard...".​

This book is on my 'wanted' list [ame="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bee-sieged-Bees-Warfare-Ray-Jones/dp/1906542031"]Bee-sieged: Bees in Warfare: Amazon.co.uk: Ray Jones: Books[/ame]

 

[Sean.]

This is all fantastic, also read that the 'native' black bee were exported to Tasmania which is interesting. And that it may be possible to get them back via that route.

One of the other things I read was bees being used as weapons: http://www.beekeeping.com/articles/us/war_bees.htm

Thanks

 

[rolande]

there was apparently a lot of beekeeping teaching being given to wounded soldiers no longer fit to fight. Even the Americans did it towards the end - beekeeping teaching that is.

A similar concept was used to drive Gene Stratton-Porter's novel 'Keeper of the Bees'

http://youtu.be/tFqks3QJ7XU

 

[ugcheleuce]

Does anyone have any photos, or stories about bee keeping from around the first World War?

Short film (24 minutes), Dutch, 1917 (no sound):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R37OJtKh47s
https://www.eyefilm.nl/collectie/filmgeschiedenis/film/het-leven-der-bijen-1917

 

[alanf]

There are a few imaged bee journals/magazines from the early 1900s available online. There's certainly evidence that beekeeping was a growing hobby after the war; several local bee associations in the London suburbs were started around 1919/20. A few later recollections said they were mostly using WBC hives and some skeps. There are previous threads about local suppliers around here such as Robert Lee of Uxbridge and Taylor's of Welwyn, thriving and producing their own variants of "cottager" and "simplex" hives.

 

[bontbee]

There's certainly evidence that beekeeping was a growing hobby after the war; several local bee associations in the London suburbs were started around 1919/20.

Even Wales had County Associations by then! Glamorgan Beekeepers Assocn. was established in 1880, and existed until the three county divisions became independent in 1984. ie Mid, South and West Glam.

(As the three administrative county areas were set up in 1974, it seems to have taken only 10 years for them to gain independence!! )

 

[ugcheleuce]

There are a few imaged bee journals/magazines from the early 1900s available online.

Yes. Again, just to show what is available (and to prompt others to tell us the URLs for English resources):

The Dutch beekeeping journals since 1898 are all online, here:
http://library.wur.nl/ojs/index.php/bijenhouden/issue/archive
Unfortunately the issues prior to about 1950 have all been digitalised as plain text, so you can't see the actual issues, but several issues since 1950 are still available as scanned PDFs (with pictures intact) -- just perform the following search:
https://www.google.com/search?q="Hele+aflevering"+site:library.wur.nl/ojs/index.php/bijenhouden/

 

[Jimmy]

The current Beekeepers Quarterly has an article with excerpts from contemporary articles from the British Bee Journal about beekeeping in WW1. If you can't get a copy locally I could try scanning.

 

[pargyle]

As the BBKA was set up in 1874 I think they must have some archive material that would assist ... good luck asking them for it ! And even more getting your hands on it ...

 

[alanf]

...and to prompt others to tell us the URLs for English resources...

Some of the US university libraries have been quite diligent in scanning old journals, such as the "British Bee Journal" from 1918 at the University of Massachusetts:

https://archive.org/details/britishbeejourna1918lond

A search for the title on the archive.org site shows volumes from the 1870s to 1920s.

 

[Sean.]

As the BBKA was set up in 1874 I think they must have some archive material that would assist ... good luck asking them for it ! And even more getting your hands on it ...

I think that's a very interesting point!