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 On August 9 a beekeeper […]
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 Oregon close to the California
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 seek to save their own
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 of honey. Our “reluctant” March
What an interesting spring Read More »
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 losses. Read to end for
Start mite control in spring Read More »
Many WVBA members probably saw the news about the development of a honey bee vaccine to protect colonies from American foulbrood. The most recent good news was that the USDA has issued a conditional license for two years for vaccine use. The vaccine, PrimeBEE, should be available for purchase in 2023. And additional good news
Vaccinating honey bees Read More »
WILLAMETTE VALLEY BEEKEEPERS ASSOCIATION 2023 Bee School What: The WVBA is offering an introduction to beekeeping course in February 2023. We will cover equipment needed, where to obtain bees, how to “work” bees, pests and diseases, and much more. When: Monday evenings February 6, 13, 20, and 27 from 7:00 – 9:00 pm. Plus in
WVBA 2023 Bee School Read More »
Well winter finally caught up to us after milder than normal summer and fall months. Our bees were winding down but it became serious business for them after mid-October now into November rain and colder nighttime temperatures. We should now shut down for any further manipulations with a couple of exceptions. We can still arrange
Finishing the Season Read More »
August was definitely NOT a month for much hive examining. Temperatures were hot and hives full of bees (and maybe supers had some honey). September is a critical juncture in our annual mite fight – take samples NOW. A nice resource is the August BetterBEE Buzz (a bee supply newsletter) “Winter Bees and Varroa Mites”.
September in Apiary Read More »
We typically think of honey bee foraging as gathering pollen and nectar from flowers. However, they also forge for propolis and water. As the bee nutrition studies at OSU by Ramesh Sagili and postdoc Priya Charkrabarti demonstrate, the nutritional requirements of honey bees are quite complex. It turns out that maybe nectar and pollen doesn’t
