Blog – bees, beekeeping & other sticky subjects
How feral colonies fare with Varroa
Could feral colonies be a reservoir for varroa-tolerant bees? New research suggests not. Abandoning Varroa treatment could leave colonies dangerously exposed.
The fall and rise of beekeeping
What has happened? Beekeeping has become trendy! From 80,00 numbers in the UK plummeted, but have shown an increase in recent years as the profile of the honeybee has risen.
Another Queen is born in the observation hive
It hasn’t been all plain-sailing in the observation hive this summer, but we now have a third queen. The workers seem to be getting impatient for her to be mated …
The queenlessness mystery becomes clearer
The observation hive is making at least one new queen. Meantime, the mystery of why it became queenless is becoming clearer. My neighbour gave me a clue.
And there she was – gone!
The observation hive isn’t quite working to plan this year. I have had to take radical action to ensure the colony doesn’t dwindle away. Why didn’t the queen return successfully mated?
Shy, retiring, but very vocal!
After a very noisy start to the morning, at last the queen in the observation hive has been spotted. She has been hiding well for a week, but now she is laying and telling the world that she has arrived.
Winter losses in the USA state-by-state
State-by-state honeybee 2013/14 winter colony losses in the USA, but perhaps the stats are a little optimistic and require careful interpretation.
Local college takes to beekeeping
On a rooftop less a few hundred metres from Vita’s HQ, Basingstoke College of Technology has installed two hives. We went to visit them this week.
Heater bees or hygienic bees?
Heads down, bottoms up, these are heater bees, not hive-cleaners. If they could channel their energy into a light bulb, they could light up their dark hive world. More from the observation hive …
Do bees go bananas?
Ripe bananas give off isoplentylacetate, the main component of the honeybee alarm pheromone. So do bees react in the presence of a ripening banana? Here’s a little test!