The Walrus and the Honey Bee
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The Walrus and the Honey Bee is a unique blog that combines storytelling and beekeeping. Founded by an avid beekeeper and writer, this blog weaves together tales of nature, ecology, and the fascinating lives of honeybees. Immerse yourself in The Walrus and the Honey Bee and experience the enchanting world of bees through captivating narratives.
The Walrus and the Honey Bee
3d ago
When I started interviewing beekeepers and passing on their stories and wisdom, I was not the first nor the last to do this; there are loads of people at it. In fact, it’s a growing phenomenon, particularly on YouTube, as content creators seek content (funnily enough) for their channels. After I release a book (it’s ..read more
The Walrus and the Honey Bee
1w ago
I have been able to do some actual beekeeping recently, which is a wonderful thing. Suddenly, the Mole (my son, Alex) and the Walrus are back in the game; we have been reversing boxes, cleaning/changing floors, and marking/clipping queens. The land is boggy and wet, but the bees are mostly strong and raring to go ..read more
The Walrus and the Honey Bee
2w ago
The temperatures here have been about normal, I reckon, but the rainfall seems worse than usual. Nevertheless, there will be strong colonies somewhere in my apiaries which will be getting into ‘swarming mode’ in the upcoming weeks. From a honey production as well as a ‘good neighbour’ perspective, swarming is something to be avoided. So ..read more
The Walrus and the Honey Bee
1M ago
Some beekeepers are always thinking ahead. They have a plan. They keep records, so they know what’s going on with their bees, and they take time to think about what they will be doing next, and then what next after that. I suppose personality type might come into it; not all folks are wired the ..read more
The Walrus and the Honey Bee
2M ago
I have written a fair few articles about raising queens, and, as time passes, my experience grows (or maybe my memory fades?). The only beekeeping I have been doing is feeding fondant to most of my nuclei, and a couple of hives that were a little light. So, here’s another queen rearing article that tries ..read more
The Walrus and the Honey Bee
2M ago
A review of Healthy Bees, Heavy Hives that recently appeared in BeeCraft magazine got me thinking. It was generally a positive review, but towards the end there was some criticism for missing something out. In fact, it stated: “I believe the absence of a balanced argument on the subject of queen imports is a significant ..read more
The Walrus and the Honey Bee
3M ago
How do we learn the noble art of beekeeping? I suppose it’s a combination of practice and theory, bolstered by reading books, chatting to others, attending courses and so on. I doubt that I am the only beekeeper who occasionally suffers from the urge to ‘meddle’ — I try things out to see if they ..read more
The Walrus and the Honey Bee
4M ago
Hopefully, if you are reading this at around the time it was posted, you are having some time away from work and enjoying time with family and friends over the holiday season. I’m quite anti-social, not really a Christian (I don’t follow any religion, but try to be spiritual), and a person who abstains from ..read more
The Walrus and the Honey Bee
4M ago
There are a growing number of people who believe that treating honey bees to remove varroa mites is bad, whereas non-treatment is good. This is literally the opposite of what government funded experts in bee health say. How can this be so? How can some beekeeping associations actually encourage the idea that not treating for ..read more
The Walrus and the Honey Bee
5M ago
The centennial National Honey Show event took place in October 2023, at Sandown Park, in Esher. I managed to grab Randy Oliver for a quick chat over lunch at the nearby Subway. I had something called a ‘Tuna Kahuna’ and coffee. I squeezed my walrus frame into a corner opposite Randy, who was wearing the ..read more