Articles

European foulbrood: Diversity and genotyping

European foulbrood: Diversity and genotyping written by Victoria Tomkies, manager of the bee health diagnostics laboratory, Fera Science Ltd and Giles...

The Scilly game of drones written by Stephen Fleming co-editor, BeeCraft

Honey bee drones (males) are known to drift from one colony to another in their exploration of new areas to mate with queens. But are they sea-faring buccaneers prepared to cross large expanses of water to meet a mate? 

To tang... or not to tang

In April's 'Hive mind', we asked if tanging, a traditional method of grounding a swarm, is still practised. Readers are responding.

BeeCraft online lecture: 'The Mind of a Bee' with Professor Lars Chittka on 29 September 2022

BeeCraft online lecture: 'The Mind of a Bee' with Professor Lars Chittka on 29 September 2022

The electric ecology of bees by Beth Harris, University of Bristol

Beth Harris explores the extraordinary role that electricity in the environment plays in pollination and bee behaviour ... and perhaps much more. Electroreception...

Tony Kirk’s Asian hornet encounter

Climbing up to Tony Kirk’s apiary is no casual bucolic stroll - and climbing is no fanciful hyperbole as his hives are on a slightly terraced...

Fighting the sour side of honey sales

Funny’ honey is hitting the news. Headlines in the UK and around the world are highlighting the issues of alleged widespread honey adulteration and...

In pursuit of a Scillonian honey bee

Few places in the British Isles are varroa-free, but the Isles of Scilly, a group of islands 25 miles off the south-west tip of Cornwall and owned by the...

Ascot race to find Asian hornet nest

Ascot race to find Asian hornet nest by Stephen Fleming, co-editor Beekeepers have been following the news of Asian hornet nest searches in the UK...

Asian hornet nest destroyed in Berkshire

The first confirmed sighting of an Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) in the UK for more than a year was made in Ascot, Berkshire, on 8 October, 2021. Four...

BeeCraft at the 2021 National Honey Show

BeeCraft at The National Honey Show - 21-23 October, 2021 BeeCraft Research Lectures Free as part of the Show entrance No booking required,...

Making an impression: Beeswax seals in the Middle Ages

‘What can we learn from ancient beeswax?’ is a lecture presented by Professor Matthew Collins on 6 October, 2021 and may be of particular interest...

European Foulbrood

European Foulbrood by Dr Chris Palgrave The two foulbroods, American foulbrood (AFB) and European foulbrood (EFB), are highly infectious diseases of...

Heather nectar as bumblebee medicine?

Honey has been used as a natural treatment for some of our ailments like skin wounds or colds since antiquity (although perhaps sometimes with mixed support from modern-day science). 

Dr Sara Robb's Same-Day Soap Method

Making honey soap can be an enjoyable hobby and does not need to involve waiting weeks or even months of curing time before you use the soap. The recipe below has been formulated for BeeCraft using oils you should be able to source with little trouble. 

When a swarm call comes ...

May is upon us - the favourite month of many beekeepers and certainly ours: the optimism that we will manage the swarm impulse of our bees to perfection and the thrill of the swarm call (of other people's bees, of course) with invitations into those secret gardens that normally we cannot enter. Our infographic on swarm collection aims to help you avoid unnecessary journeys to misidentified swarms or fistfuls of honey bees. 

The effects of air pollution on honey bees

Ranked as the 39th most air-polluted city in the world,* the effects of poor air quality on the 13 million residents of Bangalore (Bengaluru), India’s third largest city, are harsh. They are often startled when they wipe their faces and realise the amount of dust and pollution that has accumulated on their skin. How does this affect bees? By Stephen Fleming, co-editor

Duke of Edinburgh's Award

The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award (DofE) is widely regarded as one of the Duke’s most remarkable achievements, ‘equipping and empowering young people from all communities to build the skills, confidence, and resilience they need to make the most out of life’.

Avoiding heavy lifting

At the 2019 National Honey Show John Chapple of Acton, London, writes that he was with a group of senior beekeepers having coffee and discussing how beekeeping was getting harder the older one became. 

How to use a bait hive

We all lose swarms now and then and it is sad to say goodbye to a favourite queen or a large workforce that might have gathered a good crop of honey. Furthermore, a swarm might become a nuisance to a neighbour if it moves into their chimney – and more of a nuisance to you when asked to remove them. 

BeeCraft and the Central Association of Bee-Keepers online lecture evening Feb 15, 2021

BeeCraft and the Central Association of Bee-Keepers (CABK) are delighted to present two online research lectures - Honey Sources & Pollination Improvements - on Monday, February 15 at 7pm. Tickets are free! Book your place on Zoom. 

The Miller Method of Queen Rearing

Whether you have only one colony or several, Miller's method is a simple and effective way to
rear queens from your chosen queen mother, writes Margaret Cowley, MSc

The Rise of Bee Rustling - and its Reporting

At such a difficult time for us all, the theft of hives in Somerset (December 2020) comes as a particularly bitter blow; not only has a beekeeper had his bees and equipment stolen, but the thief is most likely to be another beekeeper. 

Urban biodiversity

Urban biodiversity by Stephen Fleming, co-editor   The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew report on the State or the World’s Plant and Fungi...

Gardening for pollinators

David Robinson is managing director of Suttons Seeds and National Bee Supplies. His garden on the edge of Dartmoor is designed with pollinators in mind...

Helping bees: wild flowers in a Sussex lawn

Francis LW Ratnieks and Hilary A Flockhart Laboratory of Apiculture & Social Insects (LASI) School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex One of...

For Beginners: September

Margaret Murdin, NDB, BBKA President I went walking with a friend one evening in late July and came upon fields of borage as far as the eye could see....

Asian hornet life cycle

I was fortunate a few weeks ago to have a really interesting conversation with Jersey’s Asian Hornet Co-Ordinator, Andrew Christie - you will have...

Bee Hive to Beekeeper

Sample Chapter of our new book - available soon

For Beginners: August 2018

Margaret Murdin, NDB, BBKA President As I write this, in June, the UK is in the middle of a heatwave. Most people think that the extremely hot weather...

Tracking Asian hornets - how it is done

Tracking Asian hornets - how it's done     At its closest point on the east side of the island Jersey is only fifteen miles away...

Asian Hornet Update from Jersey - July

As at the 6th July 2020 there have been 220 reports versus 246 this time last year, an 11% reduction.  Of those 220 reports the number of flying queens...

For Beginners: July 2018

Margaret Murdin, NDB, BBKA President Theoretically, swarming should be almost over by now. I say theoretically because my bait hives are still busy....

For Beginners: June 2018

As I write this at the end of April, the weather is exceptionally cold and my bees will once again be clustered. They should be out foraging on the oilseed rape that surrounds them, but not one is to be seen. This year, with the wet winter and mixed spring weather, some beekeepers have lost colonies, so I must not complain.

For Beginners: April 2018

April usually heralds the beginning of the beekeeping year proper, when we can inspect our hives in earnest. But remember that dates are not important to bees, it is the weather and availability of forage that count. Clearly, we all hope for fine weather, but we must carry out a full inspection of a colony only if the temperature is above 16 ºC.

Short story from a subscriber

Andrew sent us this little story he entered into the “Mogford Prize for food and drink writing”, aiming to win the first prize of £10,000.  

For Beginners: March 2018

See the rest of the series Margaret Murdin, NDB, BBKA President I'm an optimist, so I am looking forward to the coming season. I am quite...

For Beginners: February 2018

See the rest of the series Margaret Murdin, NDB, BBKA Chair of Trustees With the advent of February, those of us who have kept bees for a number...

For Beginners: January 2018

See the rest of the series Margaret Murdin, NDB, BBKA Chair of Trustees For a few months now, our bees will have survived by clustering tightly...

Photo of the Month Competition

Enter our photo of the month competition!

Bee Space to Bee Hive

A sample of the content of our new publication Bee Space to Bee Hive, available early June, the first of two excellent books written as a collaboration between UK Master Beekeeper, Andrew Gibb, and the late Ann Harman, one of the first certified Master Beekeepers of the US Eastern Apicultural Society. 

Proof of the benefit

I purchased some digital booklets a while ago and got round to making beeswax candles last week, initially forgetting that I had bought Recycling Beeswax.   I...

Mason Bees - The Bee Farmers USA

A really interesting video on Renting out Mason Bees! https://www.remedypictures.com/documentary#/the-bee-farmers/ We really enjoyed this short...

For Beginners: January 2020

Written by Clare Densley, Beekeeper, Buckfast Abbey, Devon I have been keeping bees since 1992 and now look after the bees at Buckfast Abbey with my...

For Beginners: May 2018

See the rest of the series Margaret Murdin, NDB, BBKA president Now that May has arrived, our colonies should be expanding rapidly and there will...

The Bee Craft beekeeping timetable

Download the PDF here

From Seeds to Bees

National Bee Supplies is one of the UK’s best-known beekeeping suppliers. Customers will have noticed a new look to the business in recent years,...

Safe Use and Handling of Acetic Acid

Safe Use And Handling of Acetic Acid Acetic acid is a clear colourless liquid used by beekeepers to sterilise wax comb to prevent disease during storage....

Website wins silver!

The Bee Craft website, www.bee-craft.com, was awarded the silver medal at the Apimondia World Beekeeping Awards at Montréal in the class for...

Autumn Feeding

A guide to autumn feeding   It is important to make sure colonies have sufficient stores to last them through the winter until pollen and nectar...

Britain's Youngest Ever Beekeeper

Archie Cridland: beekeeper: Britain’s youngest-ever qualified beekeeper   Aged five and standing just 3 feet 8½ inches (113...

Brood and a Half

Brood-and-a-half   I have kept bees for nearly 60 years and for much of that time I have used single British Standard brood chambers. Many say...

Genetic Diversity of Honey Bees

Genetic diversity of UK honey bees   The original population of honey bees found in the UK was the subspecies Apis mellifera mellifera (A.m.m.),...

What Did You Do in the Great Hornet War?

What did you do in the great hornet war?   Much has been written about the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina or yellow-legged hornet) and rather...

An Asian Hornet Trap - Video

Honey Bee Stings and Anaphylaxis

Honey bee stings and anaphylaxis   An allergy is a hypersensitivity (overreaction) of the immune system to something that usually causes no...

For Beginners - March

For beginners: March   If you acquired your bees as a nucleus last year, as most beginners do, this will be your first full season and you have...

The Value of a Frame of Brood

The value of a frame of brood   When inspecting a colony, we take many things for granted if they do not appear out of the ordinary. However,...

The Honey Bee Landlord: every tenant's dream

The honey bee landlord: every tenant’s dream   Have you ever considered why so many creatures want to get into honey bee colonies?   It’s...

Bees, Baskets and Brimstone

In last month’s Bee Craft (pp 9–11), we reported on a bee-driving event held by former BBKA president and beekeeping historian, David...

For Beginners - December

Even though it is now December and the nights are dark and there are few, if any, flowers around, it is still important to continue with our beekeeping. The...

From the Lab

The Latest in Bee Research Bumblebees with a Neonicotinoid Addiction Experiments designed to determine the effect of pesticides, particularly neonicotinoids,...

Raw Honey

Honey labels are increasingly carrying the words ‘Raw Honey’, but what does the term mean and what do the relevant authorities think? Definition Raw:...

Should I Keep Bees

I keep bees for the pleasure they give me. I admit it; pain is also involved but their beautiful organisation is a wonder. Their industry is astonishing....

Tealight Candles in Bottle Tops

Bottle tops can be used make colourful tealights to brighten up the dark winter nights. by Pauline Aslin Each one takes just 10 g of beeswax, so...

Asian Hornet Awareness

With many press reports, awareness of the Asian hornet (Vespa velutina) in the UK is increasing. However, correct identification is key as the great majority...

Feeding Bees

In bee-Utopia, feeding is not necessary. The colony collects sufficient nectar during the summer months to feed all the bees and a surplus which they convert...

Bait Hives

Free Bees? By Margaret Cowley, MSc What is a bait hive? A bait hive is an empty hive which is deliberately set up to attract a swarm. You...

Learning About the Bees (And the Birds)

      Some folks say that as you drive down the lane to Englefield Primary School, just west of Reading, you enter a sepia-tinted...

Varroa Treatments

To try to ensure the survival of their colonies, beekeepers will want to minimise the varroa mite load in colonies as winter preparations begin. One way...

Swarm Control

By Adrian Waring, NDB Swarm control is what you do to a colony of honey bees that has actually started swarming preparations – if you want to...

Honey Shows

By Adam Leitch, Master Beekeeper, NDB Autumn is a time that many associations host honey shows, with opportunities to compete for various prizes and...

Bricks or Butter

Quite probably, oil seed rape (OSR) honey is what keeps commercial beekeeping alive in Britain, but it can pose extraction problems for beekeepers...

Where on Earth is Pimpalner?

In February 2018, Martin and Marianne were invited to Pimpalner by Sujana Kirshnamoorthy to visit an Under the Mango Tree (UTMT) bee project in India....

The Shook Swarm

The beginning of a new season is the time to assess the health of your colonies as well as the quality of the comb they inhabit. Old brood comb can...

Neonics Appear In Honey After the Ban

Traces of neonicotinoid pesticides have been found in honey one year after the start of the European Union ban on their use on flowering crops. In a beekeeper-citizen...

Steam Cleaning - Recyling and Reusing Hives

It is always important to make sure you have enough frames for the coming season. Each year I buy a quantity of new frames, but I also try to recycle used...

The Skeppist