Blog – bees, beekeeping & other sticky subjects
Hilltopping
Hill-topping is a mating strategy used by many insects. Could it apply to honeybees? This is an update on the Bee Craft article on Drone Congregation Areas just published.
Nosema ceranae – emergence & hope
This week Vita begins lab tests in Greece for a new treatment for Nosema ceranae, the second greatest threat to honeybees after Varroa in some countries.
The other Queen Bee at Downton Abbey
There is more than one Queen Bee on the Downton Abbey estate.
Small Hive Beetle returns
This week Small Hive Beetle has been found again in southern Italy. It’s a great disappointment that the action taken last year has not been fully effective.
Wasps beware, ApiShield is here
It’s autumn and here in southern England it’s been quite a year for wasps. ApiShield is providing a very useful tool to stop wasps bothering the bees.
In search of a Drone Congregation Area SatNav
Since the end of June, I’ve been pondering the factors that might describe a Drone Congregation Area (DCA), those mysterious locations where honeybee queens meet up with drones to mate.
A tale of two colonies
PMS: Parasitic Mite Syndrome. Not a pretty sight and a sure sign that the Varroa population must be controlled immediately if the colony is to have any chance of surviving.
Rediscovering the first recorded Drone Congregation Area
Turlough has gone in search of the first recorded Drone Congregation Area on Selborne Common. Gilbert White reported it in the 18th century. Is it still there?
Drone Goal?
I bet the village footballers don’t know, but they play underneath a Drone Congregation Area, those secretive places that honeybee queens and drones meet to mate.
Do drones assemble above prehistoric sites?
Could there be a connection between the location of Drone Congregation Areas and prehistoric monuments? Vita’s Blogger has found another above an ancient earthwork.