News

‘Have you ever conversed with bees?’

David Grützmacher

Taking Place: Christ Church Meadow (entrance on Broad Walk)

Social Sculpture student David Grützmacher is holding his first public socio-ecological art project here in Oxford. ‘Inside The Hive’ is both an art project and a contribution to sustainable beekeeping, which David has researched in theory and practice since 2006.

“The hives facilitate visual, auditory and olfactory perception of undisturbed bee colonies. These social beings provoke inner responses which you are invited to share in conversations or other forms of artistic expression. This project has much to do with the life of a bee colony, as with our human relationships to bees and ourselves.”

The project opened yesterday and will run until Monday 26th July (7am – 8.30pm, closed on Tuesdays) and then from Saturday 29th August to Monday 27th September (7am – 7pm, closed on Tuesdays).

Group visits enable a special focus and in depth conversation. You can book time for a group (4 – 10 adults) by contacting groups@i-bee-you.eu
Please allow one to one and a half hours for the group meeting.

Group visits for children: ‘Inside the Hive’ is suitable for children from 6 years upwards. Group size: maximum of 12 children and minimum one supervisor. Every child has to bring an agreement (pdf download available on the website) signed by their parent / guardian.

We are very honoured  that Carol Ann Duffy, Poet Laureate, has offered to become our Patron. Carol Ann’s exquisite poetry, some of it devoted to the beauty and the magic of the bees, is so greatly suited to lift one’s soul to higher realms of beauty and meaning – just as the bees are wont to do. Bees and poets must have a lot to say to each other and it is a very happy turn of events that this poet’s heart is inspired by them. The photograph above was taken by Michael Woods, who kindly made it available for our press release.

Carol Ann says:
I’m delighted to offer all the support I can to the Natural Beekeeping Trust and to draw attention to the age-old connection between poetry and bees. Poetry, after all, is the honey of language. We owe bees so much and should give everything in our power for their protection.

*********************************************************************************************************************************

Thanks to  the fact that everyone at Plaw Hatch Farm is exceedingly bee aware, this swarm could be offered a new home – a straw skep – within half an hour of the swarm issuing from the parent hive.

We are hopeful that the bees will approve – more news in a few days!

We are very sorry that so many were not able to get a place on our beekeeping course at the end of May. However, a new  NBKT course is now scheduled for July in London, Chingford, which may be of interest to those not wanting to wait until September, when our next course at Plaw Hatch Farm will take place. Details can be found under “Courses”.

We are planning another “Theory and Practice of Natural Beekeeping” at Laverstoke Park Farm during the weekend of 26-27  June. Please write to anne@naturalbeekeepingtrust.org or telephone 01342-823324 if you would like to make a provisional reservation – this will be limited to 15 participants. (Please accept our apologies for the change in date due to circumstances beyond our control)

Please check this link to find out more about beekeeping courses offered by one of the leading proponents of natural beekeeping, Phil Chandler.  Find out more here http://www.embercombe.co.uk/natural%20bees

We harvested some honey from a topbar colony in its third year – this was the first time some honey was taken – to the great excitement of the beekeeper’s children. Not something to be attempted by one person, we were three and had our hands full.  As you try and move the bars, the comb filled with honey is likely to detach from the bar – be ready for this, support it from underneath to avoid squashing bees – keep a bowl ready at hand – gently but swiftly brush the bees off, we used twigs of rosemary – rush it into the house. Done. Needless to say, the bees had great amounts of stores and did not object to sharing a little.