Willamette Valley Beekeepers Association.

While the importance of the male drone is often dismissed, we can definately state that drones are important for a colony’s reproductive success. The virgin queen receives sperm from more than a single individual leading to diverse patrilines – a critical contribution for colony-level function. A study of a group…

There is a new pest in the US – the yellow-legged hornet Vespa velutina. It is a hawker.  Last month when I travelled to Georgia to assist with their Master Beekeeper training and speak at the Georgia fall statewide bee meeting, this new pest was the hot topic. New Discovery…

Do you have enough bee books?  Is there room for one more on your shelf? If yes, consider Raising Resilient Bees by Eric and Joy McEwen. (Chelsea Green Publishing. 2023. 254 pages). Eric and Joy McEwen live on a 35 acre farm in the remote Illinois River valley of SW…

Robber bees are foraging honey bees gone bad! Robbing bees take the fast track to riches – they  invade another colony to steal insufficiently protected stored honey reserves or sugar water being fed to a colony other than their own.  Robber bees aren’t trying to destroy another colony, rather they…

Spring – the busiest bee season! Like the other four seasons (swarming, supering, harvesting, fall), spring  comes with varying activities for beekeepers depending on weather conditions and our beekeeping objectives.  Beekeeping is a continuous learning experience. In spring, bee colonies need to grow their colony population and rebuild their stocks…

Beekeepers MUST work in the spring to keep mite numbers low in September and October. The concept: if we flatten the mite growth curve in the spring their eventual population will not be as large and the harmful viruses they foster will mean less fall colony collapse and overwinter colony…