Bicester-based A & T Hives

We love a good "Beekeepers helping to raise awareness of threats to honeybees" story.

https://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/25822951.bicester-business-raising-awareness-threats-bees/

https://www.facebook.com/p/A-T-Hives-100095532187024/

Props to THE IRISH NEWS

Gotta hand it to THE IRISH NEWS for bee-related coverage:

https://www.irishnews.com/life/making-skincare-has-become-my-creative-outlet-how-a-co-down-woman-turned-her-beekeeping-hobby-into-a-thriving-beauty-business-4IGD4WM7OJHRHGXNOYOXRANTRE/

‘The Beekeeper 2’ is on the way...

The Beekeeper 2 is due out in early 2027 

Dirty Gloves Award 2026 - an early contender in Meghan Markle

From Ms Markle's Instagram account:

Amateur beekeeper dies from sting after failing to wear protective gear

Alan Ransom, 55, from Ventnor on the Isle of Wight, died on 15 May 2024. Senior coroner Caroline Sumeray stated the cause of death as hypoxic ischaemic encephalopathy and anaphylactic shock, directly resulting from a severe reaction to a bee sting having failed to wear a protective hat.

Amazon

A heartwarming story of community cohesion from Dunfermline, Scotland: https://www.dunfermlinepress.com/news/25668737.dunfermline-amazon-workers-take-beekeeping-aid-green-aims/

No doubt Mr Ross Main & Co were cajoled into the photo-opp by the journalist; what on earth is going on?

Suggestions for a suitable caption are invited...

The Beekeepers Quarterly

Despite the aggravating lack of apostrophe in its title, the December 2025 edition of The Beekeepers Quarterly contains a brief review of The Beekeeper's Dictionary.

You can subscribe to TBQ at https://www.northernbeebooks.co.uk/blogs/bkq 

https://mellifica.com/

Stewart Spinks - Look & Learn

Years ago I was close to addicted to a magazine called Look & Learn. Now that I am bee-obsessed, the substititute fix comes from the excellent video and podcast series from Stewart Spinks: Beekeeping with Stewart Spinks | Patreon

Stewart's approach is refreshingly honest and practical - with all the ups and downs of beekeeping. You can subscribe via Patreon, and considering what's on offer the fee is an absolute snip.

Before you ask, Stewart has not asked me to promote his efforts; this is purely because I like and value his work.

Beekeeping with Stewart Spinks | Patreon

Rod Stewart and others

Beekeeping is all the rage, apparently. Who knew?

https://www.hellomagazine.com/homes/870042/celebrities-royals-with-beehives-at-home/

Most feral honeybee colonies in U.S. said to be Africanized

Kinda interesting: https://www.farmprogress.com/commentary/most-feral-honeybee-colonies-in-u-s-said-to-be-africanized

India becomes the world's second-largest honey exporter

Hot, possibly sticky, news: India becomes the world's second-largest honey exporter

Whether true or not, there's piece of cut comb in there too: 

The National Beekeeping and Honey Mission (NBHM) , a Central Sector Scheme, was launched under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan to promote scientific beekeeping and high-quality honey production.
This government-run scheme is being implemented through the National Bee Board (NBB) , with a total budget of ₹500 crore (FY 2020–21 to 2022–23).
This has now been extended for three more years (2023–24 to 2025–26) , and the remaining ₹370 crore will be used for this extension.

Does the UK have any similar programme, I wonder?

https://www.businessremedies.com/india-becomes-the-worlds-second-largest-honey-exporter-the-sweet-effect-of-the-sweet-revolution/

The Feminine Monarchie -or- The Historie of Bees

The Feminine Monarchie -or- The Historie of Bees never fails to fascinate. The first edition was published in 1609, and republished in 1623 (see image). 

The Beekeeper's Dictionary includes facsimiles of the frontispiece pages from the 1623 edition. In 1634, Butler published a version using his own modernized spellings. The next edition of the Dictionary might include the 1634 frontispiece. 

The 2017, Northern Bee Books published a version of The Feminine Monarchie -or- The Historie of Bees based on the 1623 text, edited and curated by John Owen: https://www.northernbeebooks.co.uk/products/the-feminine-monarchie-owen

 

Most bees are wild

From The Conversation in 2024, an article headed Honey bees are suprisingly abundant, research shows – but most are wild, not managed in hives.

Mainly the article tells me that we don't know much about unmanaged colonies because, er, well, they're unmanaged. 

https://theconversation.com/honey-bees-are-suprisingly-abundant-research-shows-but-most-are-wild-not-managed-in-hives-224807

The Beekeeper's Dictionary in Australia

From sapphire_beach_honey on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/p/DPfBoBZj_8n/

The Beekeeper’s Picnic: From Sherlock Holmes passion project to critically acclaimed indie game

This popped up again. Bonkers.

https://impress.games/press-kit/afootgames/the-beekeepers-picnic

Dr Arrigo Moro

Came across Dr Arrigo Moro's research today - fascinating stuff, and very much in the same neck of the woods as Prof Seeley. 

Visit https://research.universityofgalway.ie/en/persons/arrigo-moro to browse for research output. 

National Honey Show, Thursday 23rd to Saturday 25th October 2025 at Sandown Park, Esher, Surrey, UK

Look out for The Beekeeper's Dictionary at a special show price, available from Northern Bee Books in-person purchases only!

https://honeyshow.co.uk/

https://www.northernbeebooks.co.uk/

As seen in Bee Craft this month

https://mellifica.com/

Honey from the Dictionary

The Beekeeper's Dictionary on Amazon

The Beekeeper's Dictionary is available on Amazon, https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1836884168/ 

Joanna Gaines is a beekeeper. Who?

According to Hello! magazine (yes, it's still going), Joanna Gaines is a beekeeper. Who?

The image below, from the web page, may help you identify Joanna...

https://www.hellomagazine.com/celebrities/855743/joanna-gaines-poses-with-her-rarely-seen-children-as-she-shares-amazing-new-update-on-family-life-together/

Inveterate thieves

Great story from Canada: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/sep/09/canada-bees-honey-heist 

In summary: the ancient English farewell "keep it bee-tight" pays off.

Christine McDonald of 
Rushing River Apiaries
rushingriverapiaries.com

Two Asian Hornet nests discovered in Kent

We're winning battles even as we lose the war. 

See https://www.kentlive.news/news/kent-news/two-dangerous-asian-hornet-nests-10467891

Image: Thanet Beekeepers Association YLAH Coordinator

The Beekeeper's Dictionary & Northern Bee Books

Yes, for the beekeeper who has [nearly] everything - and for the beekeeper's Friends, Family and Significant Others who are desperate to think of something as a present... Available to purchase from Mellifica - and soon also from Northern Bee Books https://www.northernbeebooks.co.uk/

https://mellifica.com/

The world's best and most superlative
Dictionary, Almanac & Compendium of Beekeeping Terms, References, Definitions, Explanations, People, Dimensions, Facts, Figures, Sizes, Rules, Taxonomy and Items of Interest

Riverside Apiaries, Medway, under threat?

Good local interest story. Part of me cannot help but divert to the threat of Asian Hornets in Kent, and how Mr Tony Edwards will manage the future.

Perhaps the headline including "wipe out wildlife" is a little over-dramatic: Beekeeper warns Esquire Developments Ltd plans for Rainham’s Pump Farm orchards could wipe out wildlife and his award-winning honey business

https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/beekeeper-warns-esquire-developments-ltd-plans-for-rainham-s-pump-farm-orchards-could-wipe-out-wildlife-and-his-award-winning-honey-business/ar-AA1KyTAR

The Bee Shop

This is how all shops should look:

Nicola Bradbear PhD not only runs The Bee Shop but also founded Bees for Development in 1993, 

and was appointed MBE in June 2022.

WOW!

https://beeshop.ltd/  https://www.beesfordevelopment.org/

Rwanda bees and pesticides

Very interesting story here, with the classic issues as economies grow - and how profit takes precedence:

"Despite being banned for use in the EU, malathion is still exported by Denmark, France and Germany -- 12.5 tonnes in 2023, according to the European Chemicals Agency."

Reporting by Moses Gahigi, https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/rwanda-bees-being-wiped-pesticides-062003132.html

Nigerians Warned Against Exterminating Bees

This story smells iffy, to say the least. Were any people in Nigeria actually exterminating, or trying to exterminate, bees? No, but let's not let a headline stand in the way of a story, eh?

https://www.arise.tv/nigerians-warned-against-exterminating-bees/

Quectel supports commercial beekeeping with LTE module

If you have any idea what "Quectel supports commercial beekeeping with LTE module" means, please let me know... There's probably a good story in there, buried by technology.

https://www.iotinsider.com/news/quectel-supports-commercial-beekeeping-with-lte-module/

https://www.quectel.com/

The Beekeeper's Dictionary

Yes, for the beekeeper who has [nearly] everything - and for the beekeeper's Friends, Family and Significant Others who are desperate to think of something as a present... Available to purchase from Mellifica 

The world's best and most superlative
Dictionary, Almanac & Compendium of Beekeeping Terms, References, Definitions, Explanations, People, Dimensions, Facts, Figures, Sizes, Rules, Taxonomy and Items of Interest

Global warming and low-temperature washing

The article headlined "Bees have some ways to cope with a warming Earth, but researchers fear for their future" only caught my eye because we have SERIOUS contender for 'world's dirtiest bee-suit.' See also Diary of an Incompetent Beekeeper: Like sending bees to war 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/bees-ways-cope-warming-earth-131617350.html

A subjective, brief and surely inaccurate list of beekeepers

Aristotle, of Stagirus, Thinker

Baden-Powell, Agnes Smyth, Established the Girl Guides

Beckham, David Robert Joseph, Footballer

Clarkson, Jeremy Charles Robert, Farmer

Coleman, Zendaya Maree Stoermer, Actor

DiCaprio, Leonardo Wilhelm, Actor

Fenty, Robyn Rihanna, Singer

Fonda, Henry Jaynes, Actor

Freeman, Morgan Porterfield, Actor

Hemsworth, Christopher, Actor

Hillary, Edmund Percival, Climber

Hippocrates, Asclepiades of Kos, Thinker

Holmes, William Sherlock Scott, Detective

Johansson, Scarlett Ingrid, Actor

Johnson, Dwayne Douglas, Wrestler

Knowles, Beyoncé Giselle, Singer

Lively, Blake Ellender, Actor

McPherson, Graham 'Suggs', Singer

Milne, Alan Alexander, Writer

Plinius Secundus, Gaius, Politician

Sheeran, Edward Christopher, Singer

Tolstoy, Lev Nikolayevich, Writer

von Trapp, Maria Augusta Kutschera, Singer

Washington, George, Politician

Manchester Beekeepers

 

www.mdbka.com

Resisting varroa

Fascinating presentation yesterday evening from Steve Riley, author of The Honey Bee Solution to Varroa.

In a nutshell, the thesis is that treating bees with miticides is creating selection pressure for treatment-resistant mites while simultaneously creating selection pressure for varroa-susceptible bees.

As Steve confirms, this is hardly news.

The point he and others make is that it is possible to select for mite-resistant bees by close observation of behaviour, and - over time - stop treating with miticides.

The book "explains the practical steps beekeepers can take to identify and select for easily observable Varroa-resistant traits in their colonies. The science behind the bees’ mechanisms for controlling their mite populations is explained, in what is a bee-led solution to the biggest challenge facing the European honey bee."

Available from Northern Bee Books and Amazon 

Beehive bandit makes off with 57 hives, leaves Alberta beekeeper feeling 'helpless'

The obvious, curious point: the thief must have been another beekeeper. 

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/beehive-bandit-makes-off-57-190935708.html

Mr Jon Zwiers, looking crestfallen

Long Island beekeeper hid his role ordering murders, rape in Rwandan genocide to live in US, feds say

As headlines go...Wow!

Find the original on the New York Daily News, and on X 

https://x.com/NYDailyNews/status/1915445148353282465

Army proves it can Bee the Best as its sets up first formal hives at Aldershot HQ

We love a pun. 

The first official Army bees have taken up residence at the headquarters of Standing Joint Command in Aldershot – and they are already creating quite a buzz.

Full story: https://www.forcesnews.com/news/first-formal-army-beekeeping-project-makes-buzz-hq-aldershot-world-bee-day

🐝 Happy World Bee Day! 🐝

🐝 Happy World Bee Day! 🐝

Is 'No Mow May' anything more than alliteration?

Quite a few 'No Mow May' stories in the press, eg "

Urgent call to Staffordshire residents to help protect pollinators and local biodiversity

But does an unmowed lawn make a significant difference to pollinators? About 10% of UK land is urban, and taking London as the example, about 50% is green space. At a guess, and assuming all green space qualifies as No Mow, the total will be about 5% of all  UK land.

Hmmm.

Master Beekeeper for Gwent Beekeepers

Becoming a UK Master Beekeeper involves seven written examinations and three practical assessments. Congrats to Ceri Joyner.

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/woman-becomes-first-master-beekeeper-223000330.html

Humble Boy

Recently came across the play "Humble Boy," which contains the conceit that bumblebees shouldn’t be able to fly and don’t obey the laws of physics, but they fly anyway.

Except (1) bumblebees are able to fly, and (2) their flight capability is quite well understood.

Where did the conceit first start?

Anyway, the illustrative poster for Humble Boy shows a queen bee from Apis, not from Bombus.

https://www.expressandstar.com/your-world/2025/04/29/humble-boy-by-charlotte-jones-heading-to-oldbury-rep/

Beekeeping and Pigs

https://www.thepighotel.com/events/#events

UK may be on a 'slippery slope' towards an established Asian Hornet population

Plenty more in the press about Vespa velutina nigrithorax... My conclusion: we may win a few battles, but the war is already lost.

Tariffs

Apart from the tariffs, get this: 1,000 barrels of honey (about 300 tonnes) every year!

https://uk.news.yahoo.com/sask-beekeepers-hope-avoid-sting-100039670.html

The Beekeeper's Picnic - plus Sherlock Holmes

A new game you know you want to play...

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2248890/The_Beekeepers_Picnic__A_Sherlockian_Adventure/

Colony losses, US style

Apparently, Washington State University entomologists think that commercial honey bee colony losses are projected to reach between 60% and 70% in 2025.

Crikey.

More here https://abcnews.go.com/US/honey-bee-colonies-face-70-losses-2025-impacting/story?id=120191720 

More here: https://news.wsu.edu/news/2025/03/25/honey-bee-colony-declines-grow-as-wsu-researchers-work-to-fight-losses/

How clean are my gloves?

Branden Aroyan

Why do I think "stoner" when I see this photo? Anyway, it turns out that (a) Branden does all the beekeeping and (b) Her Indoors doesn't like honey.

The Bee Listener

Came across a great blog by Ann Chilcott https://www.beelistener.co.uk/

Highly recommended!

Ann Chilcott, Scottish Expert Beekeeper

Jason Statham Is Back for ‘The Beekeeper 2’

Grey Bees, by Andrey Kurkov

Finished reading Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov. Not sure if I enjoyed it, exactly...

Anti-varroa treatment timing

Fascinating article on the timing of treatments used to kill varroa: https://www.earth.com/news/major-cause-of-honeybee-mortality-can-be-easily-reduced/ 

Al Wathba Honey Festival

Now *that* is how you stage a honey festival! 

 

The fight to save the native Welsh honeybee

In an article headed "The fight to save the native Welsh honeybee," it struck me that there probably isn't a native Welsh bee:

1) 'Wales' is a political construct created by people, not bees

2) Great Britain might have had an identifiable strain of bees, the British Black Bee

3) A rule of thumb is that species within a genus cannot successfully interbreed, but all A mellifera can interbreed successfully

So being a Linnaean curmudgeon, I don't think there is a native Welsh honeybee.

https://nation.cymru/feature/the-fight-to-save-the-native-welsh-honeybee/

Photo by Carwyn Graves

Beekeeper devastated after 300,000 drowned during 'horrific' New Year's Day flooding

Sad story: https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world/beekeeper-devastated-after-300-000-drowned-during-horrific-new-year-s-day-flooding/ar-AA1xtwQG

Fencing veil or pepperpot?

One of the greatest questions facing humanity: fencing veil or pepperpot?

Pic from the Wisborough Green Beekeepers' Association, www.wgbka.org.uk

Beekeeping bishop

Graham Usher, Bishop of Norwich, is a contender for the next UK Archbishop of Canterbury. 

If proof were available that god exists then faith wouldn't be necessary, and the entire pyramid of piffle would collapse.

Drizzle Honey = Piffle Marketing: "bee-friendly honey" (YHIHF)

The news article includes the following: "Drizzle produces 100% pure, unprocessed, bee-friendly honey sourced exclusively from beekeepers who place their hives away from synthetic pesticides, herbicides or fertilizers."

https://www.fdiforum.net/mag/production/canadas-drizzle-honey-gobbled-up/

La Vie Miel

Nathaniel Lovell's La Vie Miel secures first place at UK National Honey Show

https://associatestimes.com/dominica/dominica-nathaniel-lovells-la-vie-miel-secures-first-place-at-uk-national-honey-show