Keeping bees healthy in the UK means, above all else, managing varroa. The mite and its associated viruses — deformed wing virus in particular — remain the most common cause of colony loss for both hobbyists and professionals, and yet the advice on managing them continues to evolve as resistance patterns shift and new research emerges. This category covers varroa monitoring, treatment options, and the evidence behind them, alongside posts on other diseases and pests that affect honey bees in the UK.
The aim is not to repeat the official guidance — the National Bee Unit does that well — but to examine it critically, to look at what the research actually shows, and to consider how it applies at the scale most beekeepers are working at. Posts here tend to be analytical rather than prescriptive, because hive health rarely comes down to a single cause or a single fix. If you want to understand what is happening to your bees rather than just react to it, this is the right place.
Many beekeepers in the UK are in the process of removing supers and extracting their honey. The summer is nearly over, queens are laying less, and the bees are beginning to arrange their nests for the winter ahead. Most of the varroa treatments available to us should not be used when honey supers are on, … Read more
OK, so we’ve been in lockdown for a while now. I only venture outside to go shopping occasionally and to walk the dog. Oh, and beekeeping, of course. It’s never been busier in the parks and the places where I like to wander; somehow, a lockdown has made everyone take up cycling and running. We … Read more
Mites, Weather & Queens I’m a beekeeper, so the majority of my posts are probably about varroa mites, the weather and queens. So many of the problems I’m likely to face are covered by these things. Varroa mites are a significant problem for honey bees, and that doesn’t look likely to change soon. The weather … Read more
There is always something new to learn about bees. The same probably applies to almost anything. Material for my blog posts should be endless and easy to come by. Ubiquitous, you might say. I have a vast library of books, interviews with beekeepers, my own experience, research papers, and so on. Now and then I … Read more
Yesterday I treated all of my hives with oxalic acid vapour using a Sublimox device plugged into a generator. The generator was a gift from a friend who I have helped out with bees over the last year. The Sublimox was a gift to myself and my bees. Research at LASI, located at my old … Read more
Extracts from my interviews with bee farmers about the main threats to their livelihood
I recently read a ludicrous article on BBC News, “Can Listening to Bees help save them – and us?” which continues the campaign of mis-information about honey bees. I used to think that this type of report, of which there are many, was just lazy reporting but now I am beginning to suspect a deliberate … Read more
I have just been directed to this by hivemaker on the beekeeping forum (Peter Little) and it really is groundbreaking stuff. It seems extremely likely from this work that the varroa mites feed on the bees’ fat body material rather than blood, and 95% of mites attach to the underside of the bees. There will … Read more