This detailed and highly relevant article by Kirsty Stainton is essential reading for all beekeepers. Kirsty Stainton is the Technical Manager for the National Bee Unit (NBU) and holds a PhD (DPhil) in Insect Molecular Genetics from Oxford University. She is the author of Varroa Management (Northern Bee Books, 2022) and a member of the Bee … Read more
I’m not sure if varroa mites are the thing I write about most, or if it’s queens, but they both feature heavily, and with good reason. If I have good queens in my colonies and varroa is under control, then the chances are that my bees will do well. Anyway, it was pointed out to … Read more
Audio (podcast version) is here When you look at what would be expected to happen in a stable population of ‘wild’ honey bees, such as those in the Arnot forest, it is initially quite shocking how much death there is in nature. She is a harsh taskmaster, and it is not always the fittest that … Read more
Audio (podcast) version is here or on my YouTube channel It is difficult to quantify what percentage of honey bee colonies die as a result of varroa mite infestation (and associated viruses) because multiple factors are often involved. From the information I have seen, it is the leading cause of colony losses worldwide. Probably 30 … Read more
🎵 Here is an audio version if you would rather listen than read.🎵 Cards on the table: there are actually four critical factors, in my opinion, but one of them is not something we can influence. I’m talking about the weather, of course. The weather might even be the most important one – so I’ll … Read more
Despite the glorious recent sunshine, there was little nectar coming into the hives according to the ’shake test’. It is time to start clearing supers and taking away the honey. It looks like we are on for about 2,000 lbs (907 kg) of summer honey based on the full supers sat on the hives. Unfortunately, … Read more
Risky To Go Against NBU Advice The July 2022 issue of the BBKA News features not one, not two, but THREE articles on treatment-free beekeeping. That’s three out of eight (37.5%). Given that this is an association consisting of primarily hobby beekeepers with less than five hives each, I find it odd that so much … Read more
How Many Varroa Mites In The Hive? The point of this article is to encourage beekeepers to carry out mite washes at some point in the season and treat colonies with oxalic acid every winter. I missed the winter treatment on an apiary last year, and the impact has been significant. Every mite alive in … Read more