Steve Donohoe gives a quick review of the beekeeping season, then plunges into the topic of non-treatment beekeeping, that is , not treating colonies for varroa mite infestation. He tries to understand why so many beekeepers are following this trend, and sounds a warning.

Whether you are raising queen honey bees or just dealing with colonies that have swarmed or superceded, the success of the mating of the new queen is a matter of some importance. Steve Donohoe talks about what can go wrong, and some strategies for increasing your success.

Some of the many things that can and do go wrong when beekeeping, and what to do about them

Steve Donohoe discusses the beekeeping season so far, as well as some beekeeping myths, and ideas on intensive versus extensive farming methods.

Some strange and unexpected things can happen in beekeeping - here are some of them

A little about how much honey you might lose if your bees swarm, and some ways to prevent swarming or reduce the honey lost.

Steve Donohoe walks through his method for making the best queen cells he has ever seen. It's the same method as used by Brother Adam, back in the day, and by Mike Palmer, and others.

A balanced and detailed look at the science surrounding the issue of non-treatment of honey bees, including a comparison between the two main approaches: selective breeding and using survivor stock.

From Steve Donohoe's blog post of the same title, this covers all of the important beekeeping things that matter during the springtime. It covers feeding bees early on, then providing space, dealing with colonies of different sizes, equalisation, reversing boxes, difference between drawn comb and foundation, and even a little nod towards early queen rearing.

Taken from a chapter in Steve Donohoe's book, Interviews With Beekeepers, this covers a conversation between Steve, Jolanta, and Murray McGregor in 2017. Jolanta is the head of the queen rearing unit at Denrosa Apiaries, and she explains how she makes her queens. Denrosa is the largest commercial beekeeping operation in the UK.

Imogen reads from Steve's blog post, in which sets out his latest learnings and understanding of this sometimes tricky subject. How to introduce a new queen into a colony that has lost it's own.

As we move from winter into spring here in England, Steve Donohoe discusses over-wintering success, feeding colonies, and plans for once the season kicks off.

Imogen reads from Steve's blog post of 26th January 2025, called "Room for all types of beekeeper". It is a look at the differences between commercial beekeeping and conservation, and between selective breeding and natural selection.

Steve Donohoe discusses swarm prevention strategies, bringing together as much information as he can into one place. Useful information for beekeepers who want to reduce the swarming of their honey bee colonies.

Steve Donohoe rounds up everything he has to say on varroa mites, a serious parasite of honey bees, including treatments and trying to breed varroa-resistant stocks.

Imogen reads from Steve's blog post of 16th December 2024, which is about the rise and fall of oilseed rape (canola) growing in the UK. We have moved from exporters to importers of rapeseed oil, and the countries that we import from use a loophole to allow them to treat with neonicotinoids, which are technically banned.

What is the most effective varroa mite treatment protocol for honey bees? Steve runs some tests, using Randy Oliver's spreadsheet model, to seek out the answer.

Steve Donohoe talks through his queen rearing process, from breeder queens, cell builders, grafting, and mating nucs. Based on his blog post on 2nd July 2024.

If you keep bees, you will hopefully be harvesting a good honey crop at some point. In this episode we cover the three key factors that are most important for increasing honey production.