Buckfast beekeeper and our Ask the Mentors co-author Clare Densley first started keeping bees in 1992 on her small allotment in the South West. Discover Clare's Pollinator Pattern choices in the July BeeCraft. #beekeeper #beekeeping #bees #savethebees #beesofinstagram #beecraft

The co-editors have been on a wonderful trip to Scotland and northern England where they had fun hunting down bee boles in spare moments. The August cover shows a skep in a bee bole at Thornbury castle, Bristol, and many more (and their stories) are featured on page 24. #bees

What's on your late summer checklist? ✅Harvest the last of the season’s crop ✅Clean and put away extraction equipment ✅Consider treating for varroa You can find a comprehensive overview of late summer beekeeping jobs in the August BeeCraft. #bees #beekeeper #beekeeping

Native Irish honey bee conservationist, beekeeper and bee products business owner Valentine Hodges considers the future of beekeeping in Ireland. Val shares her fantastic solid moisturiser bar recipe in the August BeeCraft. Photo credit: Conall McCaughey #bees #skincare

In the latest BeeCraft, Ken Basterfield NDB discusses the fads, fashion and foibles of the beekeeping world. Is it possible to avoid the exciting gimmicks and inventions that tempt new and gullible beginners? Photo credit: Richard Rickitt #bees #honeybees #books #beecraft

Should newly emerged queens be marked? Or does the paint prevent her from mating successfully? Clare Densley and Martin Hann from Buckfast share their insights in the August issue. Photo credit: Clare Densley #bees #beekeeping #beekeeper #honeybees #savethebees #beecraft

On their recent travels to Scotland, BeeCraft's co-editors located bee boles - nitches in the walls which offered weather protection for skeps. In the August issue they explore this lasting but neglected phenomenon. Photo: Featherstone Castle, Northumberland by Richard Rickitt.

In the August issue, artist @jacobtroodart questions style over substance. He says: "although I have dabbled in both expressionistic and photo-realistic paintings, this one almost bridges the gap". Do you think it is important to have an instantly recognisable style? #bees #art

Did you listen to the latest on the Scilly Game of Drones on BBC Radio 4 at 9:30 this morning? Don't worry - you can catch up on BBC Sounds or read the full story in the forthcoming September BeeCraft. #bees #gameofdrones #drones #honeybees #beecraft

Specialist pearl jewellery designer, lover of wild swimming and novice beekeeper Claudia Bradby is inspired by connections. Discover Claudia's Pollinator Pattern choices in the August BeeCraft. #beekeeper #beekeeping #bees #SaveTheBees #claudiabradby #jewellery #beecraft

In the August BeeCraft, Rhona Toft of Worcestershire opens our series of beekeepers seeking their own path to a varroa-tolerant bee. Since 2007, her bees have been managed without the use of varroacides. #beekeeper #beekeeping #bees #varroa #savethebees #beecraft

One of Geoff Blay's least favourite jobs is feeding bees. At worst this involves a lot of sticky work, lugging heavy buckets and then cleaning grubby feeders. In the August BeeCraft, Geoff explains how to assess stores, make cost-efficient feed and time it all perfectly. #bees

There is still time to enter the BeeCraft Photo of the Month competition. This year, you could win a beautiful WBC hive worth £700 donated by NBS. Email [email protected] before 31 October 2024 with your photo attachment to enter the competition. Photo: Zoe Oke, 2023 winner

Do you put your favourite queens in a retirement home? In the August issue, co-editor Richard Rickitt explains how and why he puts his favourite queens in a long hive after being removed from production colonies. #bees #honeybees #honeybee #savethebees #beekeeper #beekeeping

Lavender is the quintessential bee plant and it is impossible to picture a haze of purple-blue lavender spires without clouds of bees drifting merrily around them. You can find out more about the history and culinary uses of lavender in the August issue. #bees #lavender

Wishing World Champion wheelchair racer and @bbccountryfile presenter @sammikinghorn the best of luck as she competes in the Paris Paralympic Games. Broodbox regular Peter Smith (pictured in his beanie and sitting on Sammi’s left) gave her a BeeCraft woolly bee as a mascot.

The September issue is out now! This month Martin Kunz reports on California's almond crisis, Steve Riley discusses selecting for varroa-resistant traits and co-editor Stephen Fleming tells the tale of his recent Scilly adventures. We hope you enjoy. #bees #honeybees #beecraft

Steve Riley, chair and education officer at Westerham BKA, discusses how members of a beekeeping club select for varroa-resistant traits, and reveals his three-part monitoring protocol. Photo credit: Richard Rickitt #bees #honeybees #varroa #varroaresistance #beekeeper

In the September issue, Master Beekeeper Geoff Blay shares his beginners’ guide to forage. By monitoring which plants his bees chose to forage on a sunny July day, Geoff hopes to inspire new beekeepers to introduce bee-friendly plants which supplement the local flora.

After many delays due to poor weather, co-editor Stephen Fleming was able to travel to the Isles of Scilly at the end of July. His goal? To find out whether drones fly over water to mate with queens of other islands. You can read the full report in the September BeeCraft.