“How are the bees?” is a question I am asked every day. People are aware of the plight of bees as losses of honey bee colonies across the world hit the headlines: 50% annual loss of honey bee colonies has become the norm in North America, and this year beekeepers in Argentina, Australia and, most recently, the US have lost their bees in forest fires.
These honey bees making the headlines and increasing public awareness are all the same species: Apis mellifera, the honey bee upon which the global beekeeping industry has developed. This one bee species is the focus for most honey bee research, most books, websites and courses on beekeeping. Policies and honey legislation have even been developed for this one species alone.
The honey bee Apis mellifera is the most researched species after our own and was among the first to have its genome sequenced. The natural distribution of Apis mellifera is from northern Europe to South Africa, eastwards towards Iran and to the west coasts of Ireland, Continental Europe and Africa. It is a cavity-nesting bee, building parallel beeswax combs for its nest and making and storing honey to survive a dearth of flowering periods of many months — it is this behavioural aspect that has made honey bees attractive to humans for thousands of years.
Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Country Smallholding.
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Denne historien er fra November 2020-utgaven av Country Smallholding.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
The Secret World Of The Honey Bee
Who knew that honey bees are the best builders? Nicola Bradbear from Bees for Development reveals how they build their parallel wax combs with extraordinary accuracy
Tip the light fantastic
The latest offering from Ifor Williams Trailers is the Single Axle Tipper, which is simply perfect for small-scale farmers
The legacy of The Good Life
The Good Life captured the public’s imagination when it first aired in 1975. On Country Smallholding’s 45th birthday, Jeremy Hobson looks at this and other programmes with a self-sufficiency slant that have captivated urban and rural dwellers alike over nearly half a century
‘The hens took shelter under the pig trailer in the paddock'
A tree Armageddon frightens poultry diarist Julian Hammer’s flock and leaves him with a mammoth clear-up job
Tools of the trade
In the second part of his mini-series on tools that are useful around the holding, Kevin Alviti takes an in-depth look at the iconic scythe, a thistle paddle and forks that were once virtually indispensable to small-scale farmers
The nightclub bouncer of the sheep world
Adam Henson waxes lyrical about the Texel, which boasts such a stocky body that it resembles a box of muscle on four legs
Buying on a tight budget
As demand for smallholdings increases and prices continue to rise, is there a way to achieve your dream without forking out a fortune? In the first part of a new mini-series, Liz Shankland explores the possibilities
Crazy for crafts
In an ordinary back garden and single paddock near Kidderminster, Kay Dalloway has created both a thriving smallholding and a successful fibre business — all while working full time for the NHS. Helen Babbs drops by to find out about her ventures
Game on
A little preparation in the autumn months will help to make the transition into winter smoother and put your garden and tools on a better footing come the spring, says Stephanie Bateman
1975 And All That
Country Smallholding is 45 this month. To celebrate, Jeremy Hobson takes a look at some of the changes — both good and bad — to small-scale farming over that near half-century