Articles

Why foulbrood kits are in short supply

The queen that’s trying very hard – but without success (yet)

A worker tells her sisters to get on with the day through the shaking signal (video).

Installing honeybees in an observation hive

Efficacy rates and infestation rates – what do the terms really mean?

AFB and EB diagnostic test kits now available to groups of American beekeepers and others.

Vespa velutina (yellow-legged hornet) has been seen for the first time in the USA

A visit to Taiwan by Sebastian of Vita Bee Health – short video slide show. Spot the differences.

Do honeybees learn to dance? This video uncovers some secret learning.

It’s May, so drones are out and about, patrolling at DCAs.

What’s in a name? Honey Field and Wax Hanger date back at least 200 years. Could they have been named by the father of English beekeeping?

Thirty EFB strains and some show geographical clustering

Despite their relatively poor protein contribution to a bees’ diet, could sunflowers be helping bees fight varroa?

Various hornets have been invading different parts of the world. Here are a few of teh ones of concern.

An encounter with a debating swarm

Losses of 50% have been reported by some beekeepers in the key beekeeping province of Alberta and up to 90% in Manitoba. What’s the cause?

A colony, partially underground in the base of a willow tree, is rescued and rehoused

How VitaFeed Patty tops the list

The story behind the winner of the 2021 Vita Bee Health photo competition

Gabrielle Almecija asks how varroa try to elude treatments

Is Apistan still effective?
Yes, it’s still very effective in most areas.

How high is a drone congregation area (DCA)? At the site of the first recorded DCA, a UAV drone takes to the air to find out.

From a fishing rod to a high flyer in search of a drone congregation area.

A royal reaction – watch how quickly bees respond

Greenham Common revisited after a few years. Its DCA has apparently changed.

When no one is paying attention, what is a dancing worker bee to do?

Vet students at the University of Calgary in Canada are eager to learn more about an animal for which they have new responsibilities

Free webinars on three Thursdays in May: EFB, biosecurity and Irish bee genetics

Two colonies side by side – can you spot the difference?

Would your group like to hear a Zoom talk from a Vita speaker? Here’s how to place your request for a free talk.

Watch short video clips of Vita Bee Health personnel speak about recent developments

A podcast on revisiting the spot where the first documented drone congregation area was heard by the Rev Gilbert White, a pioneering 18th century naturalist.

A selection of pollens gathered by bees in southern England in May 2020. Can you name the sources?

How was your bee season? Good? Spare a thought for beekeepers across the globe who have had to contend with erratic or unusual weather …

See the acclaimed film Honeyland in Basingstoke on 4 December. Free tickets courtesy Vita Bee Health and BCOT.

B401 wax moth control to be superceded by B402.

There’s a new global survey about toxic events affecting honey bees. You can help …

The tenth IMYB for teen beekeepers in Slovakia showed the future of beekeeping.

Blandford & Sturminster beekeepers enjoyed a rare public visit to Vita Bee Health’s apiary in Basingstoke with Basingstoke’s mayor.

An update on the colonies suffering varroa very early in the season.

Oregon small-scale beekeepers report their colony losses.

Jerry Hayes of Vita Bee Health North America talks about bees and careers with Vance Crowe

A fascinating new book about the Asian hornet has just been published revealing latest findings about the invader.

Why there are temporary difficulties in finding supplies of Vita Bee Health AFB and EFB diagnostic kits

This town is in for a pleasant beekeeping surprise soon. 2019 IMYB is coming!

The discovery of varroa’s heart is expected to help in the development of new control treatments.

Why are the bees clinging to the wall? Perhaps there’s something behind it …

Stuart Roweth’s suggestions for cleaning and repositioning the Bee Gym

Time to clean your smoker? What fuels keep it cleanest? And how do you clean out the gunk?

Stuart Roweth explains using and trialing the Bee Gym, the chemical-free varroa grooming aid.

An early season varroa alert. Vita’s Blogger tests for an alarming over-wintering increase of varroa.

Stuart Roweth, inventor of the Bee Gym, updates on his latest thinking.

Innovative ways of overwintering bees

Some of the reactions of honey bee workers to the small hive beetle are very curious

Hurricane decimates forage in the Florida Panhandle.

Ohio forage is not enough for the resident bee population. How is that challenge being met?

Video showing the quick and easy installation of Apishield to ward off Asian hornets and see an early alert of its arrival.

Jerry Hayes gives a free talk about the discovery and legacy of Colony Collapse Disorder. Book free tickets.

Jeremy Owen retires as a director of Vita, continues as CFO. Sebastian Owen become commercial director.

Beekeeping science in action in La Rochelle, France. Apinov aims for the big one!

Gabrielle Almecija of the University of Tours has begun a three-year research project about resistant varroa

A sick colony explodes into the landscape and infiltrates surrounding apiaries.

My Beekeeping Year is a fun, A4-sized seasonal chart for beekeepers to note down memorable events during their beekeeping year. Download it for free.

Beekeeping associations across the world are invited to compete for a new Vita award for honeybee health initiatives. The Awards highlight the work of beekeeping groups to combat health threats to honeybees.

Beekeepers across Europe face the threat of a new pest, the Small Hive Beetle, but a low-cost device to trap the pest is already available from Vita.

Behavioural resistance and the varroa mite – new international research

Honeybee washboarding – a curious phenomenon

The beauty and grace of male honeybees in slow motion

When a queen goes missing

Vita Bee Health has a new and prestigious distributor, Chemicals Laif in Italy.

The overall winner of this year’s Vita Bee Health international photographic competition is Susan Kimber. She wins Є100 and the […]

Entries for the 2023 Vita Bee Health photo competition now being accepted

The Vita Bee Health Calendar photo winners announced

Last winter, Canadian honey bee colony losses in many areas often exceeded 50%, affecting honey production and honeybee supply for […]