Blog – bees, beekeeping & other sticky subjects
Photo Competition winners coming soon
We are just about to announce the winners of the Vita Photo Competition 2014.
Could your photo be there …
Timely alert on Asian hornets
With leaves falling and exposing Asian hornet nests high in the tree canopy, Southern French beekeepers say that the next two weeks is the time to destroy the nests.
Yes, it really was an extraordinary season
“Oh, it’s been a strange beekeeping season.” I’ve heard beekeepers say that every year that I’ve kept bees. So I will say it this year and claim that it really has been the oddest of years.
Remember your first season?
Do you remember the joys of your first beekeeping season? We asked Lauren of BCoT, Vita’s local college, what she thought of their first year in beekeeping. They had a terrific year …
Bee invasion
It’s a cool showery day in October, so why is this little nucleus so busy? I think an invasion is in progress. Fortunately the colony is being treated for Varroa, so it should be safe from invading mites.
Bee Survey shows the importance of proper Varroa treatment
What happens when you don’t use approved treatments? Early results from a USA survey shows that if you don’t treat, expect higher bee losses.
Roman Ralph 1945-2014
Vita is very sad to report the passing of Roman Ralph, Business Manager at the company from 1997 to 2009. He found the world of bees fascinating and will be remembered fondly by Vita staff and customers.
What’s the honey?
Can you identify this rather distinctive honey? Here are some clues: its aroma fills a room, it’s thixotropic, it’s very late season and in the UK it’s often called the king of honeys. It also fetches a premium price.
Small Hive Beetle arrives in Europe
A new and very destructive honeybee pest has arrived in Europe for the second time, but this time it might be much more serious and beekeepers are urged to be on high alert.
The investigatory and communication power of bees
During honey extraction I put aside some very good looking frames for cut-comb and stored them in a box in a north-facing room. Guess what happened next.