In this article, we take a look at how to transport bees long distances. Bees have a long history of traveling around the world with us humans, and we will take a meander through this history. A Quick Look At How Bees Move If we look at a beehive, it is basically similar to a … Read more
How do bees get pollen from flowers? We will take a look at pollen gathering in bees and how these amazing creatures collect, store and ferment pollen to make food for the hive. Why Do Bees Collect Pollen? If we look at social wasps such as yellow jackets, they forage on nectar for energy and … Read more
The use of grease patties for bees to control various hive diseases and pests is widespread. In this article, we take a look at what you can use grease patties for bees to treat. Grease patties for bees in their simplest form are just some sort of hard fat, such as vegetable shortening, with sugar … Read more
The small hive beetle or Aethenia tumida is an opportunistic pest that can bring both destruction, and a few benefits, to your apiary. In this article, we take a look at how to control these irritating pests and how to manage small hive beetle treatment. In 1997 I was a young beekeeper in South Africa. … Read more
As a beekeeper, an important question we need to ask is when should I treat my bees for mites? We will go into this in some depth – there is no direct answer actually, but more a case by case situation. Best practice is just that – the best we know at the time. These methods evolve … Read more
In this article, we take a look at how to provide water for honey bees. Bees require water for many aspects of the functioning of the hive – we will take a look at how you can help them out. I remember my first sting – I was about three and was at a swimming … Read more
Every now and then we find a hive that is a bit weak and needs a hand to build up enough to make it through winter for example. There are ways of adding bees to a weak hive – I generally caution against this, but, it can be done. In this article, I take a … Read more
Top bar hive ventilation is somewhat less complex than ventilating a Langstroth box hive. It is nevertheless important to ensure that your topbar hive is ventilated to ensure that the more fragile combs do not fall off and melt on hot days. We take a look at a few top bar hive ventilation tricks. Comparing … Read more
When beekeepers talk about Nosema in bees they are really talking about infection caused by the obligate microsporidian parasites Nosema apis and Nosema ceranae. Now that is a terribly complex-sounding introduction to this article – let’s spend the rest of this making it easier to understand! Nosema treatment/prevention in bees is an important part of … Read more
When comparing Russian honey bees vs Italian bees it is a bit like comparing a Wooly Mammoth with an Elephant. We will delve into the differences between these two exceptional honeybees in this article. What Are Russian Bees? Russia is actually very big. When we talk about Russian bees as a “breed” we are referring … Read more