About:
Beekeeper for 45 years, 35 years "semi commercial" working 60 - 80 colonies single handed, preferred hive design - Smith Retired Marine /Mechanical Engineer Passionate about Honey bee well ...
Bragging Rights:
Despite working full time and being parent to 6 wonderful kids - assisted of course by my 'doting' wife. I studied Modern German and Apiculture achieving 3 honours degrees in academic and commercial disciplines in the German language eventually translating all of the important information on the Natural History of the Varroa mite and the successive different anti Varroa treatments including the oxalic acid and f formic acid breakthroughs in the 1990s. Coincidently I worked towards the Scottish Beekeepers' Association qualifications gaining them all, I also gained the UK Certificate in Apiculture in 1982 and passed Part "A" of the NDB in the same year. I also published. the first English language information on the bio-technical Heat Treatment against Varroa, after translating the original definitive Thermal Cabinet design from the original Russian in 1988. Against horrendous resistance as editor ot the Scottish Beekeeper magzine from1995 to 2005 I promulgated and promoted the use of oxalic acid as state of the art treatment against Varroa - my greatest detractor at that time was Glynn Davies, former BBKA President, who incidently is now an oxalic acid disciple. I am at present engaged in a crusade to encourage beekepers in Scotland to adopt formic acid as a supplementary weapon against the mite. Sorry about all that but this section did encourage bragging!
