Purple Lilac Vine (Hardenbergia violacea) is a species of flowering shrub in the plant family Fabaceae and is native to Australia. Joan Fox took this photo in Tucson, where there are a large number of native plant and tree species in the same Fabaceae plant family. Purple flowers overflow this vine from February through March. …
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Q pH of liquid feed I feed my bees a 50:50 solution of sugar water. Some sources recommend adjusting the pH of one’s feed to match that of natural nectar. Do you know of any scientific evidence that shows any health benefit to the bees from adjusting the pH? Steve Wall December A Steve, thanks …
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As I sit down to write the fiftieth Notes from the Lab, I find myself thinking about how this column got started. Notes from the Lab was inspired by Roger Morse, the famed former professor of apiculture at Cornell, who penned a monthly column called “Research Review” for over forty years. When I started at …
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Recent validation of EFB test kits in North America could make the disease easier to diagnose European foulbrood, or EFB, can be difficult to identify. Although the classical presentation — discolored larvae twisted like a corkscrew — is easy to recognize, there are many other ways the disease can manifest. Larvae may have very little …
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You have likely heard of a new beekeeper starting because they want to “Save the Bees.” Perhaps you are mentoring someone who started for that reason. Or you have had the discussion about honey bee colony losses and been asked the question, Are bees going extinct? As we start gearing up for a new spring …
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Did you put mouse guards on your hives? Depending on the local mouse populations, which vary by location and winter season, bee colonies could have suffered considerable comb damage. Perhaps though, the bees endured the cold without being visited by foraging mice, which might be just good fortune, hardly a management plan. Comb pests change …
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This is a story about complacency, rationalization, and ignoring the advice I give to others. It’s about a bear I barely knew. And, ultimately, it’s about the generosity of beekeepers I never met. So let’s take it from the top. My home borders the 110,000-acre Capitol State Forest in Washington State, a working forest where …
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Hiving a tree colony On November 16th while out working some of our bee yards, we noticed a colony of honey bees which had built a considerable amount of comb on the bottom of a limb and made it their home 13 feet off the ground. With them being exposed to the harsh elements of …
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For humans, communication is all about sight and sound, but, for many other organisms, chemicals are their primary language. We occasionally see this type of communication in action — the dog sniffing a rock and leaving his return message with a raised leg — but most of the chemical conversations going on around us are …
Read MoreA great opportunity for learning, networking, and having opportunities to speak with some of the best-known bee authors and researchers. This is a competitive scholarship open to young people ages 18-25 (at time of the conference — August 1-5, 2022), Ithaca College, Ithaca, New York. Veterans ages 18-30. It pays for most of the one-week …
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