It’s our beekeeping time Because it is a nice, round number, I arbitrarily selected 100 years of beekeeping evolution as my discussion time period. I sense that by doing this I unintentionally implied that we are now at some kind of beekeeping pinnacle. Yes, we are at a pinnacle, but pinnacles come and pinnacles go. …
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There is a wealth of pleasure I have received from keeping bees, but I am also reminded every fall that if I procrastinate doing required beekeeping tasks there is a price to be paid for my neglect. Beekeepers throughout history have dealt with getting bees ready to survive the winter season. This year will be …
Read MoreMost old beekeeping equipment suggests a connection to bees, even by members of the public with a meager knowledge of apiculture. Arguably, the most common case is the bee smoker. Even if a lay person calls it a “bee puffer,” the bee connection remains. Especially when some old bee artifact is sold on the internet, …
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Think about human health for a moment. Compared to 1724, or even 1824, Americans live cushy lives. We inhabit modern homes, work sedentary jobs, and get little physical exercise. In addition, we breathe nanoplastic particles, eat ultra-processed foods, drink forever chemicals, and absorb digital signals daily. Yet many so-called health experts insist salt is the …
Read MoreDisagrees with AHPA on Xerces overview of bees in National Forests I was surprised at Peter T. Jenkins’ review of the Xerces Society’s “An Overview of the Potential Impacts of Honey Bees to Native Bees, Plant Communities, and Ecosystems in Wild Landscapes: Recommendations for Land Mangers.” [See “Review and Critique of the Xerces Society’s Overview …
Read MoreATHENS, Ga., Sept. 10, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Dalan Animal Health, Inc., the leader in invertebrate health, today announced new experimental findings of their innovative bacterial vaccine’s potential to significantly reduce deformed wing virus variant B (DWV-B) in honey bee populations. Dalan made headlines in 2023 with the world’s first honey bee vaccine, which is conditionally …
Read MoreUNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Winters can be tough on managed honey bee colonies, with beekeepers in the United States reporting that one-third of their colonies die each winter. A new study by Penn State researchers has found that using not one but multiple pest treatments may help bees make it to spring. The researchers found …
Read MoreSeptember 10, 2024 — American Bird Conservancy (ABC) is launching its inaugural Untreated Seed Pilot Program (USPP). The program offers funding on a per-acre basis to American growers and producers interested in sourcing and using corn, soybean, and cereal crop seeds not coated with neonicotinoid insecticides, also known as neonics. By reducing or eliminating the …
Read MoreA vaccine for Deformed Wing Virus? New vaccine for AFB may have wider benefits. Tina Sebestyen – 1175 A History of the Discoveries About the Sexuality of the Honey Bee – Part 1 Frédéric Eggers de Villepin – 1179 What’s Blooming in Your Neck of the Woods? November Ed Szymanski – 1199 Boisterous Buzz-runners Thomas …
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