Preparing for an Apiary Visit: Varroa Mite Sampling with Powdered Sugar

Posted August 1, 2015

Preparing for an Apiary Visit: Varroa Mite Sampling with Powdered Sugar

Introduction When I was a graduate student in the later 1960’s my major professor, Dr. E.C. Bert Martin, taught his students that only big strong colonies are suitable for wintering. Smaller colonies should be stacked up and combined, so the combined populations would insure winter survival. Bert wanted a minimum of 60 pounds on each …

Posted August 1, 2015

Taking Measure of Bee Space

The Reverend Lorenzo Langstroth is remembered chiefly for the hive that bears his name, the Langstroth hive. However, its design is based on his most important discovery: bee space. What is this space and what is so important about it? A Little History People have been aware of this space for as long as honey …

Posted August 1, 2015

Bees: An Up-close Look at Pollinators Around the World

The upcoming book, Bees: An Up-Close Look at Pollinators Around the World, truly is unique, giving the reader a new way to appreciate and marvel at these “mvps” (most valuable pollinators, of course!). Authors Sam Droege and Laurence Packer present more than 100 of the most eye-catching bees from around the world as you’ve never …

Posted August 1, 2015

Eva Crane Trust -News Update

The Trust was set-up by Dr Eva Crane in 2002 and is a grant-giving charity. It also aims to be a portal to information of interest to beekeepers and bee scientists The web site www.evacranetrust.org has been in operation for some time but since May 12th it has become easier to use and offers an …

Posted August 1, 2015

From Hive to Table

An International Conference on the Safety and Authenticity of Bee Products Istanbul, Turkey 21/22 May 2015 This was the first international congress to focus solely on food and safety issues associated with the authenticity of bee products including honey, royal jelly, pollen and propolis. It was held under the auspices of Istanbul Technical University, Yildiz …

Posted August 1, 2015

The Geraniaceae – The Geranium Family

Worldwide the Geraniaceae consists of about 750-800 species of mainly annual and perennial herbs, a few subshrubs, and rarely woody, and then generally soft woody plants. The leaves are usually alternately, occasionally oppositely arranged, and are often palmately though sometimes pinnately veined. The pubescence is often glandular.1 The flowers are generally regular (generally more or …

Posted August 1, 2015

August 2015 Cover

Beekeeper/Photographer Bill Mondjack of Mondjack Apiaries in Pennsylvania took this great photograph of a honey bee on a Knapweed blossom. Regarded as an invasive species and noxious weed by conservationists, knapweed often blooms and provides surplus honey late in the season when there are few other plants blooming.

Posted July 1, 2015

How Adult Small Hive Beetles Can Destroy Honey Bee Colonies by Themselves

In the previous article, we covered basic small hive beetle biology. This article concentrates more on protecting colonies from small hive beetles and showing how just the adult beetles can destroy small-sized colonies. Keeping colonies strong is the general recommendation for protecting them from small hive beetle invasion of their brood combs. However in the …

Posted July 1, 2015

Things Are Getting Messy: What’s the Unit of Selection?

For the last few months I’ve been unpacking a natural history of the western honey bee Apis mellifera with the aim of pointing out clues for modern beekeeping along the way. The practical clues have been few to this point because we’ve been dealing with the most fundamental groundwork of the species – its morphology …

Posted July 1, 2015

My Two-Queen Hive Experiment

It is early spring as I write this article. I am working on bee equipment. This season I have decided to do something that I have wanted to do for a long time. I will build a long hive. As the saying goes, times (things) change but people don’t. What has changed is that when …

Preparing for an Apiary Visit: Varroa Mite Sampling with Powdered Sugar

Posted August 1, 2015