Posts by Nick Mawby
Philip Denwood “Towards a History of the Dark Bee in Britain”
Philip has been keeping bees in the Chiltern area since 1971, and was attracted to BIBBA by seeing the publications on display at the National Honey Show in 1972. He served on the BIBBA Committee for many years. After Beowulf Cooper’s death he collected his published and unpublished writings and from them compiled “The Honeybees…
Read MoreHuw Evans “Electronic monitoring as a tool for better beekeeping and queen breeding”
With a consuming interest in engineering and innovation since a young age, Huw obtained a First Class Honour’s degree in Electronic Engineering and PhD in Microwave Engineering. A keen beekeeper for over 15 years now, Huw has a passion for finding out what bees are doing while undisturbed. As a result, Huw is the managing…
Read MoreJo Widdicombe “The Principles and Practice of Bee Improvement”
Jo has been a member of BIBBA for nearly 30 years and serves on the BIBBA Committee. He was a Bee Inspector for 5 years and now runs over 100 colonies in Cornwall. Author of the book, ‘The Principles of Bee Improvement’. Lecture Title: “The Principles and Practice of Bee Improvement” A practical approach to…
Read MoreTony Maggs “Bee Farming with Native/Near Native Bees”
After pestering a friend of the family for many years, who was an experienced beekeeper in the Nottinghamshire Beekeepers Association, he eventually helped me to start beekeeping by taking me with him to hive a swarm. This mentor turned out to be a keen member of BIBBA, so pointed me the right direction. After five…
Read MoreMike Saunders “A current attempt to recover Apis mellifera mellifera from mongrelised stocks in the Welsh Borders”
Professional engineer. Keeping bees since 2006. Helped two very experienced beekeepers for 2 years trying to improve bees by small-scale rearing of first-cross Carniolan queens. In 2009 switched to using “nearish-native” native bees, and since then has been studying the native bee and the science of bee breeding. In 2010 started a local Group using…
Read MoreMargaret Murdin “Bee Genetics Explained” – “Understanding the Queen”
Margaret has been keeping bees for about 12 years and is a practical beekeeper who learnt her skills as a member of the Ormskirk and Croston Branch of the Lancashire Association. She is a member of BIBBA and keeps bees that are well adapted to the local area. She currently has 20 colonies across 3…
Read MoreJeroen Vorstman “Queen Rearing Simplified”
After my study of Forestry and Nature Conservation I began beekeeping and started as a professional pollinating beekeeper. I worked for Wageningen University and Research Center for the bee research unit and for 8 years as Managing Director for the Dutch Beekeepers Association. I wrote the book “Beekeeping for Everyone” (in Dutch) and now I’m…
Read MoreJim Vivian-Griffiths “Mating Biology of Honey Bees”
: I qualified as a Master Beekeeper in 2014, winning the Wax Chandlers Award. I passed the Lectureship Examination at the Gormanston Summer School in 2015 becoming a Certified FIBKA Lecturer. I am a BBKA assessor for Basic and General Husbandry. I have been beekeeping with my wife Val, who is also a Master Beekeeper,…
Read MoreMichael Maunsell “The Drone – More to its life than we may think?”
I am a retired mathematics and physics teacher. I began beekeeping in the early 1970s when I was approached by a local farmer to rescue bees from a dangerous hollow tree that overhung the road between my house and his land. There followed a short intense period of study of beekeeping and carpentry to make…
Read MoreRandy Oliver – Bees in California – Colony Buildup and Decline – Understanding Varroa – Breeding the Ideal Bee for Your Area
Randy Oliver owns and operates a small commercial beekeeping enterprise in the foothills of Grass Valley in Northern California. He and his two sons manage about 1000 colonies for migratory pollination, and produce queens, nucs, and honey. He has over 40 years of practical beekeeping experience, plus holds B.S. and M.S. degrees in Biological Sciences.…
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