Joe Bleasdale

Care of Bees on Frame Hives Joe Bleasdale

Natural Beekeeping with Frame Hives: - with colour photographs. There is a growing acceptance among many beekeepers of the principles of minimum intervention and avoidance of chemicals in the hive. Beekeepers with standard frame hives will find their colonies benefit when they care for their bees as described in this book. This will result in reduced stress, happier bees and sustainably obtained honey. The Natural Beekeeping movement has gained many followers, people concerned with the plight of bees and their environment, using Top Bar hives (including the Warré) and skeps. With the increased scope and flexibility offered by frame hives they can gain a better understanding of the behaviour of their bees and still adhere to the principles of Natural Beekeeping. I have included a chapter that explains how my methods differ from those conventional practices taught by national beekeeping associations, which I maintain are not beneficial. This summarises my beekeeping practices and rationale: No medication or chemicals; no culling of queen cells in order to prevent swarming; no queen marking or clipping queen's wings; no culling drone cells; only taking surplus honey, not having to feed sugar to replace it, for the hive's own honey is the best food for surviving winter; I do not re-queen a hive by removing the old queen; I no longer buy wax foundation, which is made from beeswax supplied by other beekeepers and will contain chemical residues; I do not obtain bees from outside my local area. My hives have been cared for to the benefit of the bees, and their honey has been harvested sustainably, a pure product of what the bees have gathered themselves.