Links

General info I Bee biology I Bee diseases I Bee identification I Beekeeping blogs I Beekeeping related charities I Art, gifts and jewellery I Gardening for bees

General info

• Bee foraging season – a nicely laid out North London Beekeepers fact sheet showing flowering times by month of some popular bee flowers
• The Bee Photographer – Superb closeups by supreme bee photographer Eric Tourneret of bees in all sorts of situations and countries. See his YouTube channel for videos.
• Flowers by month – London area flower timings, written by Mark Patterson for the London Beekeeping Association (LBKA)
• Pollen chart – interactive with toggles for different seasons, from Sheffield beekeepers
• Pollen guide – Bristol Beekeeping Association have produced an interactive pollen guide, access by clicking on ‘Pollen guide’ along their top navigation menu
• Pollen and honey guide – Romsey Beekeepers Association chart on the honey and pollen properties of common English flowers
• Reading Beekeepers Association – the association’s free monthly newsletters are very detailed and interesting
• ‘There are queen cells in my hive – what should I do?‘ – An incredibly helpful Welsh Assembly Guide.
• UV flower markings – use this database by nature photographer Bjørn Rørslett to see how flowers appear to bees (select the ‘UV flowers’ link from left-hand menu)

Bee biology

• Honey bee biology – University of Delaware slides covering the anatomy of bees and how they perceive the world
• Understanding bee anatomy – lots of videos from Master Beekeeper Ian Stell

Bee diseases

• Beebase – National Bee Unit official advice on disease control
• Healthy bees plan – Free quarterly FERA ‘healthy bees’ newsletters to download
• ScientificBeekeeping.com – beekeeping through the eyes of a biologist. Randy Oliver scours scientific papers for the latest info on combating pests and diseases.

Bee identification

• British bees on Flickr – these photos by author Stephen Falk cover 275 species of British bees, acting as a virtual field experience/museum collection
• Bumblebee identification guide – Bumblebee Conservation Trust
• BWARS – UK society dedicated to society dedicated to studying and recording bees, wasps & ants
• Conserving bumble bees – free e-book with guidelines for identifying US bumbles and managing habitat for them
• US Department of Agriculture native bee basics – fab illustrations and detailed info on US native bees
• Natural History Museum identify nature guide – four ways the NHM can help identify your specimens and sightings. The ID team’s on Twitter at @NHM_ID
• Solitary bee photos – plenty of pretty solitary bees to look at
• Wild bee photos – organised by genera. Thousands of photos by Nicolas Vereecken, a PhD student focusing on chemical communication, especially sex pheromones in wild bees and Ophrys orchids

Beekeeping blogs (my favourites)

• The Apiarist – A Scottish beekeeper and scientist; David Evans both really knows his stuff and will make you chortle with his entertaining writing
• Honey Bee Suite – Rusty lives in Washington and is amazing. A very experienced beekeeper with an Environmental Studies masters; she takes both a scientific and humorous approach to her blogging.
• Icelandic Beekeeping Association – fascinating info on beekeeping in the Land of Fire & Ice (choose ‘In English’ from the left hand menu if you prefer to read it in English!
• Kiwimana – New Zealand beekeepers Gary and Margaret blog, produce podcasts and sell beekeeping supplies from their online shop.
• Mid Bucks Beekeepers Association – has very useful free downloadable BBKA exam module study notes
• Miss Apis Mellifera – a beautifully illustrated aromatherapy/beekeeping blog by Emma Tennant, who used to be my beekeeping buddy
• Mud Songs – Canadian blog included as they have to put up with even colder, wetter beekeeping than I do, in Newfoundland
• Talking with bees – British beekeeping with a sense of humour

Beekeeping related charities – support these if you can!

• Adopt a beehive – BBKA scheme allowing you to adopt a UK beehive of your choice.
• Bees Abroad – a small UK charity which supports beekeeping projects in developing countries. Sells cute bee themed Christmas cards.
• Bees for Development – a great charity which works to promote sustainable beekeeping in developing countries by providing beekeepers abroad with a free quarterly journal providing practical advice on beekeeping and management techniques.
• Bumblebee Conservation Trust – aims to help UK bumblebees by preventing further declines and raising awareness of the problems bumblebees face.
• Friends of the Bees – a UK charity founded to conserve and protect bees, to educate people about bees and to research and promote more natural beekeeping methods.
• Hives Save Lives – a UK charity which aims to alleviate poverty in Africa by providing beekeeper training, beehives, equipment and materials to communities in need, so that they can sell honey and related products.
• Hymettus – a UK charity which provides advice on conserving bees, ants and wasps within Great Britain and Ireland. Has free information sheets on gardening for bumblebees on its website.
• Landlife – a UK charity which helps create areas of wildflowers which provide vital forage for bees and other wildlife. Sells wildflower seed mixes.
• Urban bees – a group dedicated to bringing bees to cities. On a mission to promote sustainable and responsible urban beekeeping to a new generation of urban beekeepers through education and training.

Art, gifts and jewellery

• Anna de Ville – pretty silver honey and bumble bee earrings
• Christine Farmer – very detailed pencil drawings of bees, every hair is visible
• Creature Candy – bee mugs, stationery and soap
• Entomology 1 – vibrantly colourful paintings of native bees by art students
• Eric Tourneret – books containing Eric’s fascinating bee photos
• Louise Bird – bumble bee painter and printmaker
• Pencil and Leaf – beautiful bumble and honey bee cards, print and book by artist Valerie Littlewood
• Rose-Lynn Fisher – incredibly magnified photos of bees, published in her book, BEE
• Sophie Allport – a supporter of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, Sophie makes fine bone china, textiles and stationery in a variety of patterns, including bees

Gardening for bees

• beehappyplants.co.uk – source of wildflower and other bee-friendly plant seeds
• The best garden flowers for bees – bumblebee expert Professor Dave Goulson has a pretty A-Z page full of photos and explanations of the best garden flowers for bees, from Allium to Wisteria
• Flowers for bees: Pollinator-friendly plants – the London Beekeepers’ Association website has lots of fascinating resources, including a colour-coded matrix and monthly charts with photos of the best flowers
• Gardening for bees – British Beekeeping Association advice
• Rosybee – supplier of bee-friendly plants, grown without any pesticides.
• Plants for pollinators – flower lists from The Royal Horticultural Society