You will hear very little from me today, and quite a lot from some people who have spent a great deal of time looking very carefully at the issue of genetically engineered farm crops.
 
I recorded these short interviews and a panel discussion at a conference I attended recently, where some well-informed speakers talked about their work and their conclusions about the potential dangers of growing GM crops in the UK and elsewhere.

Whether or not you have paid attention to the GM food and crops story since their introduction about 15 years ago, I urge you to find time to listen to these speakers - these are serious people and very far from being a bunch of wild-eyed hippies - which is how the press love to characterize people who speak out on this subject.

What does this have to do with beekeeping? Well, everything. GM pollen has been implicated in several studies of the 'colony collapse' phenomenon, and many GM plants have insecticides built into them, rendering them deliberately toxic to bees and all other insects.

First, you will hear from Michael Hart, a British farmer and carpenter, who has travelled to the USA recently to talk to American farmers who have been growing GM crops and who have found that they are not all that Monsanto promised them to be. He has made a film of his journey, which will be available soon and I will provide a link to it in due course.

Other speakers will introduce themselves. After that, you will hear part of the panel discussion that concluded the conference, followed by a short piece from Lawrence Woodward, which was taken from the panel discussion, as I did not get the chance to interview him personally.

If you are not up to speed with GM issues, I recommend you watch this short video featuring Vandana Shiva talking about the future of food - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vi1FTCzDSck

If you value what I do and you can afford it, I would be very grateful if you would 'buy me a coffee' to help me provide you with more free stuff next year. There will be more podcasts, more videos and more DIY plans, for starters.

As a 'thank you' I will send you a free copy of 'The Barefoot Beekeeper's Guide to Swarming and Swarm Management' (usually US$4.99).

And just a reminder that you can call and leave a message on my voicemail, if you have a question or comment for me to use in this podcast. The number is  0203 239 1643 if you are in the UK, or - +44 203 239 1643 if you are outside the UK. You can also use my Skype name to leave me a message, which is 'beesontoast'. That's bees - not beans.

You will have noticed that there is a lot of free stuff on my web site at www.biobees.com - including these podcasts.

I do this because I want to make information about natural beekeeping available to everyone, regardless of ability to pay. Some things - like my book - I do charge for, simply because I have to eat too, but I do send out some free copies to people who are unable to pay.

Very soon, I will need to upgrade my aging PC, do some urgent repairs on my elderly car and buy more timber for next year's trials of new (even simpler!) hives. As you probably know, I make no income directly from beekeeping - only from book sales, speaking and teaching.

So if - and only if - you value what I do and you can afford it, I would be very grateful if you would 'buy me a coffee' to help me provide you with more free stuff next year. There will be more podcasts, more videos and more DIY plans, for starters.

As a 'thank you' I will send you a free copy of 'The Barefoot Beekeeper's Guide to Swarming and Swarm Management' (usually US$4.99).

Thanks for your help - and thanks for listening!

NEXT

This is another outside podcast, directly from one of my apiaries, to the accompaniment of bees, birds and nearby horses.

I talk about my recent visits to Neil and Carol Klein's North Devon, where I installed a top bar hive earlier this year, and to London, where I gave a talk and met some interesting people at The Hub, Kings Cross.

I have used grease patties containing tea tree oil for the first time, and I talk about the pros and cons of treating for Varroa mites. You can find the recipe for grease patties here - http://www.honeybeesuite.com/?p=1841

Robbing has been a problem recently, and it is especially galling when the robbers are coming from someone else's apiary. I discuss a couple of deterrent tactics.

Please leave me comments on iTunes and do post reviews with lots of stars if you like my efforts!

Questions and ideas for future podcasts - please use the voicemail number: 020 32 39 16 43 (UK) or  +4420 3239 1643 elsewhere.