OxNatBees
@oxnatbees.bsky.social
Network of low intervention beekeepers around Oxfordshire, England - oxnatbees.wordpress.com
Talk on low intervention beekeeping tonight, 7PM GMT. Free tickets: cbka.org.uk/events-talks subjects: inspecting hives without opening; swarms and genetics; wild colonies; disease / pest control @bbka.org.uk
cbka.org.uk
November 12, 2025 at 2:38 PM
Talk on low intervention beekeeping tonight, 7PM GMT. Free tickets: cbka.org.uk/events-talks subjects: inspecting hives without opening; swarms and genetics; wild colonies; disease / pest control @bbka.org.uk
Bunch of us met up and chilled about #bees , comb, hornets, microclimates, wax moth, hive ventilation, satellite nests, more bees. Good company, good fun. World needs more of this. @bbka.org.uk wp.me/p2l0XA-39f
ONBG meeting, September 2025: Talking bees
Half a dozen of us met at Gilliane’s for a meal and, well, just to Talk Bees for an afternoon! It was raining, and too cold to open her hives so we huddled indoors and shared stories and wisd…
wp.me
October 12, 2025 at 1:55 PM
Bunch of us met up and chilled about #bees , comb, hornets, microclimates, wax moth, hive ventilation, satellite nests, more bees. Good company, good fun. World needs more of this. @bbka.org.uk wp.me/p2l0XA-39f
When two groups of Treatment Free #beekeepers meet, both learn loads.
wp.me/p2l0XA-380
The number of TF beeks is huge, we have friends everywhere...
wp.me/p2l0XA-380
The number of TF beeks is huge, we have friends everywhere...
Networking with our neighbours
Members of our group of Treatment-Free (TF) beekeepers visited a neighbouring group and in a packed day, heard talks on: Novel ways to structure such groups and engage with local communities A very…
wp.me
August 15, 2025 at 11:02 AM
When two groups of Treatment Free #beekeepers meet, both learn loads.
wp.me/p2l0XA-380
The number of TF beeks is huge, we have friends everywhere...
wp.me/p2l0XA-380
The number of TF beeks is huge, we have friends everywhere...
Are honeybees struggling?
Well, it depends.
Bees in low stress "treatment free" hives seem to be doing OK.
I also discuss some of the pitfalls of trying to compare surveys:
wp.me/p2I0XA-371
Well, it depends.
Bees in low stress "treatment free" hives seem to be doing OK.
I also discuss some of the pitfalls of trying to compare surveys:
wp.me/p2I0XA-371
July 22, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Are honeybees struggling?
Well, it depends.
Bees in low stress "treatment free" hives seem to be doing OK.
I also discuss some of the pitfalls of trying to compare surveys:
wp.me/p2I0XA-371
Well, it depends.
Bees in low stress "treatment free" hives seem to be doing OK.
I also discuss some of the pitfalls of trying to compare surveys:
wp.me/p2I0XA-371
Treatment-Free #beekeeping (no miticides) is thriving in Britain. Our TF group met recently to talk about #bees, hives and eat cake: oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2025/06/10/o...
ONBG meeting, May 2025 – bees, hives and swarms
Just before World Bee Day, a dozen beekeepers met at Gareth and Lynnes’ lovely garden and apiary to share bee wisdom, meet peers, learn about hive construction subtleties, and look in some st…
oxnatbees.wordpress.com
June 10, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Treatment-Free #beekeeping (no miticides) is thriving in Britain. Our TF group met recently to talk about #bees, hives and eat cake: oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2025/06/10/o...
Swarm numbers vary a lot. I enjoy catching them and pass spares to like minded people with empty hives. Last year I caught 7 by the end of swarm season (mid April to late June). This year... 16 already. Everyone's running out of hives to put them in! We're beginning to merge into existing colonies.
May 21, 2025 at 7:01 AM
Swarm numbers vary a lot. I enjoy catching them and pass spares to like minded people with empty hives. Last year I caught 7 by the end of swarm season (mid April to late June). This year... 16 already. Everyone's running out of hives to put them in! We're beginning to merge into existing colonies.
I've gathered some joyful stories of gathering #swarms of #bees here - oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2025/05/08/swarm-stories-2 . After many years gathering them, they still surprise me. We've only just begun swarm season here.
Swarm stories
This swarm appears to be waving back to my hand! Swarm season started earlier than ever before (climate change) and our group has so far caught and hived about 20. We’ve also seen several big…
oxnatbees.wordpress.com
May 8, 2025 at 1:00 PM
I've gathered some joyful stories of gathering #swarms of #bees here - oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2025/05/08/swarm-stories-2 . After many years gathering them, they still surprise me. We've only just begun swarm season here.
[After playing Oblivion] gamify your job by imagining you are on an epic quest to [e.g.] combat Kath the Irritable and Greg the Tedious in Accounting, followed by an epic Boss fight! Now hand me my +1 hive tool and bee armour, as I go in search of honey...
May 3, 2025 at 12:45 PM
[After playing Oblivion] gamify your job by imagining you are on an epic quest to [e.g.] combat Kath the Irritable and Greg the Tedious in Accounting, followed by an epic Boss fight! Now hand me my +1 hive tool and bee armour, as I go in search of honey...
Our #beekeeping group had our first meeting of the year, featuring wild colonies, discussions of bee-haviours and a jolly nice lunch. Spoiler: no fatalities, but lots of excited bee chat -
oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2025/04/04/m...
oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2025/04/04/m...
Meeting, laughing, learning
Following a not at all ominous partial solar eclipse, 27 beekeepers gathered amid the Gothic architecture of Christ Church college in Oxford (scene of various TV murders, Harry Potter movie mayhem …
oxnatbees.wordpress.com
April 4, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Our #beekeeping group had our first meeting of the year, featuring wild colonies, discussions of bee-haviours and a jolly nice lunch. Spoiler: no fatalities, but lots of excited bee chat -
oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2025/04/04/m...
oxnatbees.wordpress.com/2025/04/04/m...
Social media.
Where Truth goes to die.
Where Truth goes to die.
March 9, 2025 at 10:20 AM
Social media.
Where Truth goes to die.
Where Truth goes to die.
Amazon seem to be slashing the price of my book - www.amazon.com/Observant-Be... so good time to buy! Full of info you won't find elsewhere.
www.amazon.com
March 7, 2025 at 12:02 PM
Amazon seem to be slashing the price of my book - www.amazon.com/Observant-Be... so good time to buy! Full of info you won't find elsewhere.
Alternative hive inspectors...
February 11, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Alternative hive inspectors...
Here's a video with more info on my book, The Observant #Beekeeper : youtu.be/DjlWYNp3QUo?...
Paul Honigmann - author of : THE OBSERVANT BEEKEEPER Treatment Free, Low Intervention
YouTube video by Northern Bee Books
youtu.be
January 14, 2025 at 10:10 PM
Here's a video with more info on my book, The Observant #Beekeeper : youtu.be/DjlWYNp3QUo?...
Just got a gorgeous gift - this book on #beekeeping by @jagungal.bsky.social ! About 10% of way through, love the writing style bubbling with joy, the amazing photos and so full of fascinating stuff I didn't know I didn't know. Learning lots of fun stuff. Need to read it fully and write a review!
January 3, 2025 at 6:55 PM
Just got a gorgeous gift - this book on #beekeeping by @jagungal.bsky.social ! About 10% of way through, love the writing style bubbling with joy, the amazing photos and so full of fascinating stuff I didn't know I didn't know. Learning lots of fun stuff. Need to read it fully and write a review!
Some #bees are "runny": when you examine a comb, exposing it to light, they all run around madly. It's a defensive trait, to hide the Queen, and some beekeepers attempt to breed it out so they can find queens (er... that's the point). When I see it, I imagine the colony listens to heavy metal music.
December 29, 2024 at 6:38 PM
Some #bees are "runny": when you examine a comb, exposing it to light, they all run around madly. It's a defensive trait, to hide the Queen, and some beekeepers attempt to breed it out so they can find queens (er... that's the point). When I see it, I imagine the colony listens to heavy metal music.
Below one of the robbing/robbed colonies (see vudeo) bees were fighting.
December 28, 2024 at 3:12 PM
Below one of the robbing/robbed colonies (see vudeo) bees were fighting.
Very odd thing here: two wild #bee colonies at opposite ends of the same roof, robbing each other. Went on for hours but by next day all quiet again.
December 28, 2024 at 3:11 PM
Very odd thing here: two wild #bee colonies at opposite ends of the same roof, robbing each other. Went on for hours but by next day all quiet again.
It's an Ox. As in Ox Ford.
December 28, 2024 at 3:06 PM
It's an Ox. As in Ox Ford.
Just loved this post box in Oxford with its knitted cap.
December 28, 2024 at 3:04 PM
Just loved this post box in Oxford with its knitted cap.
National honey show. Zillion types of honey.
December 28, 2024 at 3:00 PM
National honey show. Zillion types of honey.
Propolis barrier from Warré hive entrance, built by colonies to reduce hole size to guard / reduce draughts / sterilise incoming air. Tree resins and wax. You can see it's not a uniform material, and surprisingly thick. A dynamic construction, removed in summer for peak traffic and airflow.
December 28, 2024 at 2:58 PM
Propolis barrier from Warré hive entrance, built by colonies to reduce hole size to guard / reduce draughts / sterilise incoming air. Tree resins and wax. You can see it's not a uniform material, and surprisingly thick. A dynamic construction, removed in summer for peak traffic and airflow.