When new, the wax on the surface of beeswax candles is very glossy. In following weeks, it will sadly begin to lose lustre. The culprit is the oxidation of lipids in contact with the air, a process that candle makers call “blooming” . The solution to dull beeswax is simple, just buff the candle with […]

OK, wasps can seem annoying, but compared to their close cousins the bees, they get a really bad press. Both bees and wasps are facinating and essential pollinators, both contribute to local ecology in different ways and both have invaluable specialisms that aid human horticulture. It’s actually hard to decide which is more significant, but

Homesian beekeeping. It’s well known that author Arthur Conan Doyle had a love/hate relationship with his greatest creation, the Consulting Detective, Sherlock Holmes. After trying to kill-off Holmes in a fall over the Reichenbach Falls, the public outcry was such that he had to resurrect him for further adventures. In 1903 however, Doyle, finally retired

Bees and Mushrooms. Paul Stammets is an expert on fungi so influencial with some that he got a character in the Star Trek universe named after him*. Given the cultural capital involved, this has to be a very rare honour indeed? Stammets is also a Beekeeper and concerned about the plight of bees in his

This weekend’s named storm aside, beekeepers are on the cusp of a new season. We shouldn’t open our colonies too soon though or we risk harming any baby bees, for whom chilling is bad news. The problem comes that we’re impatient beings and desperate to see how well our charges have survived the winter. But,

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine we’ve learned a lot about both nations. One of the many things of which I was previously ignorant, was the degree to which honey production contributes to the Ukrainian economy. According to Wikipedia, 700,000 people, or “1.5% of the Ukrainian population, are engaged in the production of honey.” #slavaukraini

In the Hindu tradition, to dream of bees is highly significant. Depending upon context, it can point to considerations of vitality, prosperity, community, busyness and rebirth. The gods Vishnu and Krishna, are often shown with a bee to represent a transit of psychic energy.

Strange but true… Unlike mammals where taste sensors are focused on the tongue, Honey bees use a range of specialised organs in diverse parts of their bodies to taste things. They actually have taste receptors in their front feet, tongue, mandibles and antennae which all work together to provide an assessment of potential food stuffs.

A male or Drone Bee has no jobs to do, can not look after itself and makes a single but invaluable contribution to the legacy of the hive during its life. During the Spring and Summer when new Virgin Queens head to the sky to mate, Drones from every nearby colony will be waiting in

The Helicobacter pylori bacterium, often shortened to H pylori, colonizes the human digestives system and is linked to stomach pain that may be worse when your stomach is empty. Symptoms can include nausea, a loss of appetite, and frequent burping. You may also experience bloating and weight loss and in more extreme cases ulcers. Certain

Honeybees forage tree resins to concoct a complex substance called Propolis. They use this sticky substance as an antiseptic and antifungal coating as well as to fill small gaps and glue hive parts together. Propolis is often referred to as ‘bee glue’ by Beekeepers. Propolis has been used medicinally for millennia, and is of great

There are  20,000 bee species around the world. Most are solitary bees or social stingless bees however there are 250 bumblebee species and 9 honey bee species. Our industrious Western Honey Bee (Apis Mellifera) is native to Europe and Eurasia – having holed up somewhere warm during the last ice age and extended their range