BeeCraft

Have a laugh with Peter Smith of Broodbox fame on the BeeCraft #podcast for the March issue. (You can have regular podcast updates through your usual podcast provider -- follow The BeeCraft Podcast.) podbean.com/eas/pb-ha5eb-1…

Check out February's Photo of the Month by Peter Langford from Suffolk. The photograph shows varroa (Varroa destructor) and tropilaelaps (Tropilaelaps mercedesae). You can find out how Peter achieved such a brilliant image on page 33.

In the February BeeCraft we interviewed Penny Melville-Brown OBE. She is thought to be the first blind person to be elected as chair of a British beekeeping association. Listen to her interview in our brand new BeeCraft podcast: youtube.com/watch?v=oKvEqb…

The 2024 IMYB in Dubai, UAE, hosted 20 international teams and the theme was beekeeping in arid lands. Alongside the competition, the participants were taken on a whistle-stop tour of Dubai's landmarks and desert conservation reserve. Read the full story on page 10.

Pollen mites: friend or foe in the hive? In the February BeeCraft, Ken and Dan Basterfield NDB write about the mites that consume pollen mould in beehives. They think of pollen mites as nature’s housekeepers and discuss the ways in which they are useful to beekeepers.

Is this the world's oldest beehive? The discovery of a superbly preserved 1,300-year-old tree hive in Poland has astonished scientists. Read the full article on page 38 of the February BeeCraft. Photos: courtesy Polish Museum of Beekeeping Culture #honeybees #bees #beekeeper

In the February BeeCraft, Francis Russell - Guernsey’s invasive non-native species officer - explains the island's yellow-legged hornet spring trapping campaign. Find out more on page 8. #asianhornet #YLH #bees #invasivespecies #honeybees #bees

The February BeeCraft is out now. In this month's issue, find out about the secret symmetry of the honey bee nest, teen beekeepers in Dubai, the spread forecasts for the yellow-legged hornet, pollen mites, beekeepers' sheds and much more. Happy reading!

Nature lover, bee advocate, wildlife gardener and author, Brigit Strawbridge dedicates her time to raising awareness of the importance of native wild bees and other pollinating insects. Discover Brigit's plants and pollinators choices in the January BeeCraft.

Rev John Owen delivered a sermon at the church of the father of English beekeeping in Hampshire. "What can we learn from Charles Butler?", he asked. Through studying Butler's life and works, Rev John Owen deduced four remarkable pointers. Discover more in the January BeeCraft.

In the latest instalment of our Cyclopedia series, M is for migratory beekeeping. Co-editor Richard Rickitt writes about the shift from honey hunting to migratory beekeeping across the world. Find out more on page 33 of the January BeeCraft. Photo: @richardrickitt

In the first of our articles on survivor bees in Southern California, Professor Boris Baer sheds light on the events which led up to this modern-day bee phenomenon. Find out more about survivor bees on page 28 of the January BeeCraft. Photos: courtesy CIBER

In the January BeeCraft, co-editor Stephen Fleming reports on how Martin and Deirdre Bencsik have built and played bee cellos over the past ten years. Read the full story on page 24. Photos: B Williams

Keith S Delaplane introduces his brand new series on flowers, bees and pollination in the January BeeCraft. "As beekeepers, we talk about pollination all the time, but what does that word actually mean? How is a flower pollinated and precisely what role do our bees play?"

In the January BeeCraft, we welcomed Lesley Jacques NDB as she settles into the hot seat as author of the ever-popular monthly beginners’ series (read just as keenly by old hands as new ones, we happen to know). Read her practical advice on page 18.

In the January BeeCraft, Rémi Brouard, Christian Guespin and Marie Laure Legroux ask: does spring trapping yellow-legged Asian hornets work? Read the full results of their study on page 6.

In the January BeeCraft, Will Steynor shares the candle-making technique he perfected and has used since the 1980s: a method which uses four moulds to make up to 48 candles a day. See Will's wonderfully detailed step-by-step guide on page 20. Photos: Richard Rickitt

Darwin's barberry is an evergreen shrub that has small, glossy, dark green leaves that bring a brightness to the winter garden. The flowers can attract bees in large numbers and are particularly favoured by recently emerged overwintered queen bumblebees.

Primary school teacher Zoe Hunt is on a mission to educate children about the importance of bees and beekeeping. In the January BeeCraft, she shares her experiences, safeguarding knowledge and top tips for how to keep children engaged and interested during talks. #bees #teacher

The January BeeCraft is out now. Our first cover photo of 2025 features a bee cello built by Professor Martin Bencsik with the help of his wife Deidre, a professional cellist. Read the full story on page 24. #bees #honeybees #beekeeping #beekeeper #newissue #2025