A bee egg is 1/1000th the size of the eventual adult bee. It may surprise you that all the eggs a queen lays in beeswax comb cells are NOT the same size. Younger-aged queens, not surprisingly, lay more robust, larger eggs than older-aged queens. Two-year old queens lay eggs that weigh 1/3rd less. And eggs […]
Queens can lay different egg sizes Read More »
WVBA members are encouraged to complete a web-based survey document in a continuing effort to define overwintering losses/successes of backyard beekeepers in Oregon. This was the 15th year of such survey activity. I received 171 reports from Oregon beekeepers keeping anywhere from 1 to 41 colonies; Willamette Valley members sent in 13 surveys, less than
2023-24 Winter Loss Report Read More »
The pnwhoneybeesurvey is OPEN. The members of WVBA have been especially supportive of this annual survey of Oregon and Washington backyard beekeepers. Please participate before May 1st @ https://pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/survey/ If you want a quicker survey experience please print the note sheet @ https://pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/notesheet/ which is a great tool just to have in your bee
PNW =honeybeesurvey OPEN Read More »
Just in time for our early season decision making on what is best to feed our bees is the latest release from the Honey Bee Health Coalition Honey Bee Nutrition Guide . https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/nutritionguide/ The guide reviews the basic of bee nutrition and serves as a manual for supplemental feeding in bee hives. It is a straight-forward,
Bee nutrition – a great new guide Read More »
The Varroa mite is a formidable foe? As my April PNW survey shows, our annual loses, most specialists agreeing due to varroa mites, continues around 40%. We need better tools (better bees/weaker mites/better controls) to combat the mite. Here are three promising developments that might help. Weaker Mites: Greenlight Biosciences https://www.greenlightbiosciences.com/ of Rochester, NY
Varroa control— what’s NEW? Read More »
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 of German scientists from the
In-Hive Drone Behavior Read More »
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 »
