In the world of beekeeping, one name has become almost synonymous with knowledge, precision, and generosity: Dave Cushman. Though he faced years of ill health that prevented him from working, Dave devoted his time to creating what is now regarded as the most comprehensive beekeeping website in the world. His work continues to be used by beginners, seasoned beekeepers, and even scientists across the globe.
When Dave passed away in 2011, his website was entrusted to Roger Patterson, who has carried on maintaining and developing it with the same spirit and standards that Dave himself valued so highly.
A Life Shaped by Curiosity and Craft
Dave was born in Leicester in 1946. Bright enough to pass the 11-plus, he left school at 15 and began his working life as a TV engineer. His career was varied and colourful: draftsman, project engineer, Formula Two racing mechanic, freelance photographer, silversmith, and later, the founder of Apex Enterprises, a company producing everything from electronics and darts equipment to trophies and beekeeping kit.
By the mid-1970s, beekeeping had become one of Dave’s passions. At one time he kept up to a hundred colonies and was deeply involved in bee breeding, particularly with native Apis mellifera mellifera. He questioned accepted wisdom, ran experiments, and documented his findings meticulously.
A Beekeeper, Engineer, and Innovator
Dave brought an engineer’s eye to beekeeping. He designed equipment, explored alternative hive models, and wasn’t afraid to experiment with unconventional ideas. His catalogues from the 1980s list a remarkable range of hive stands and floors, long before open mesh bases became common. He was also among the first to sell “seconds” of hive parts, making beekeeping more affordable at a time when manufacturers preferred to keep their wares pristine.
His restless creativity sometimes got the better of him. Apex Enterprises eventually folded in the mid-1990s, with Dave himself reflecting that he had expanded too quickly. Yet even in setbacks, his energy was relentless.
Health Challenges and Resilience
Dave’s life was far from easy. At 25, he was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. Later came a serious hand injury, meningitis, a heart attack, diabetes, and other complications. His mobility was severely limited; in later years he could barely walk. Yet despite constant illness, those who knew him never once heard him complain.
Instead, he poured his energy into beekeeping knowledge.
The Website: A Monument of Beekeeping Knowledge
Around the year 2000, Dave launched his website, dave-cushman.net . Every page was hand-coded in HTML – no shortcuts, no software packages. His style was distinctive: simple, clear, and relentlessly cross-referenced. Updates were carefully dated, sources credited, and diagrams meticulously redrawn for accuracy.
What began as a modest project grew into a vast online archive. Drawings of hive parts, detailed articles on bee biology, careful summaries of scientific papers – Dave covered it all. His aim was always the same: to help others.
And help it has. To this day, the site is used worldwide by beekeepers, educators, and researchers alike. Many have admitted to “losing hours” as they click from one page to the next, following Dave’s web of cross-links into unexpected corners of beekeeping knowledge.
Character and Legacy
Dave was widely respected for his generosity and his willingness to share knowledge. He could be forthright, sometimes abrupt, but never malicious. He gave freely of his time, his ideas, and even his money if it meant supporting beekeepers.
He was not without critics – particularly those who disliked his habit of questioning “mainstream” advice -but among thoughtful, experienced beekeepers, Dave’s reputation was immense.
When he died in February 2011, the beekeeping world felt the loss keenly. Online forums lit up with concern when his website briefly went offline; within hours, dozens of messages poured in asking what had happened to this vital resource.
Continuing the Work
In his final months, Dave entrusted the future of his website to Roger Patterson. His only instructions were simple but firm:
- Don’t dumb it down.
- Keep it copyright-free.
- Ensure it remains accessible to all.
Roger has honoured those wishes ever since, ensuring that the Cushman website remains available to everyone who seeks reliable, practical beekeeping knowledge.
An Enduring Resource
Dave Cushman was never a professor, though many addressed him as such. He wasn’t formally trained as a scientist, yet his work continues to support scientific research. He was, in every sense, an ordinary man who achieved something extraordinary.
His website is more than a collection of pages; it is a living monument to one beekeeper’s passion, ingenuity, and determination to help others.
For many of us, it remains the first port of call when searching for answers. For that, and for all the unseen hours he spent building it, beekeeping owes Dave Cushman a great debt.
Roger Patterson talks about Dave Cushman: