Blog – bees, beekeeping & other sticky subjects
Vita’s first Basingstoke allotment harvest
The first jars of honey from Vita’s Basingstoke trials apiary – after just a couple of months with apiaries on site.
Pollen-rich diets help combat varroa
New research shows how “social immunity” of bees to varroa infestations is boosted by pollen-rich diets.
Asian hornet predictions in the UK
With the ability to spread at the rate of 70-80 km per year, what are the prospects for the Asian hornet in the UK?
IMYB DCA Hunt
Woodborough Hill – the mysterious Treasure Island
Did the International Meeting of Young Beekeepers find a drone congregation area (DCA)?
Video coming soon.
Woodborough Hill, sometimes known as Treasure Island, in the Vale of Pewsey is a mysterious place! Twenty-five years ago, a group of midnight UFO spotters were terrified when they reported a craft “80-100 feet (30m) wide”. They flashed at it – it flashed back! Two years later, another group heard what they interpreted as the sound of a ghostly hunt – hunting horn sounds and all!
Well, they did indeed find a DCA. It was still at first and the queen pheromone lure on the end of a fishing rod was attracting nothing. But then a breeze sprang up – and the noise of drones was clearly to be heard, though nothing could be seen!
With eyes looking skyward, they appeared – not huge numbers, but very convincing.
The drones even chased small objects thinking they were queens on the wing.
Eyes up!
Keep watching this url for more photos and the video currently being edited!
What Rev Gilbert White heard?
To celebrate the 225-year anniversary of Gilbert White hearing a drone congregation area, we revisit Selborne Common to listen again.
Varroa in the UK: 25 years on
Max Watkins remembers the first discoveries of varroa in the UK 25 years ago.
Welcoming world’s young beekeepers
Vita is a sponsor for the International Meeting of Young Beekeepers starting quite soon.
VitaFeed Nutri field trials
Vita’s new protein supplement has been found to increase honey production by up to 18%.
Sick bees explode across the landscape
A sick colony explodes into the landscape and infiltrates surrounding apiaries.
Spot the queenless colony
First inspection of the year. But one colony was queenless. Which one?