Beekeeping Through the Eyes of a Biologist
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Contents Review.. 1 Balancing moisture elimination and heat loss. 2 Broodrearing in the winter cluster. 3 So let’s do the arithmetic!. 5 Practical applications. 5 Optimal Cluster size. 5 Winter stores ― honey and beebread. 8 Hive placement. 8 Hive insulation. 9 Hive ventilation. 10 Literature cited. 11 Nosema and Dysentery: 7c The Prevention of […]
Read MoreI find that many of the best management resources for professional beekeepers interested in best management practices for their managed livestock were written long ago, before all the hoopla about “The Decline of Bees.” Those practices still apply — other than varroa mite, little has changed about beekeeping. So the update is to keep varroa infestation […]
Read MoreOverwintering of honey bee colonies This subject has long generated endless debate among beekeepers. There are a few excellent resources by those who have collected hard data: Dr. Floyd Moeller was a USDA researcher who performed extensive field research to test various beekeeping management practices. This excellent publication covers practices to improve overwintering success, and […]
Read MoreContents The bees’ need for water. 1 Water and the winter cluster. 1 Water Balance. 2 Water homeostasis and buffering in the winter cluster. 3 Water in the gut. 3 Atmosphere and Humidity within the winter cluster. 3 Evaporation via respiration. 5 Defecation/Dysentery. 6 Literature cited. 8 Nosema and Dysentery: 7b The Causes […]
Read MoreI Googled the word “beekeeping” today, which came back with 39 million results — far too many for most of us to read! The other issue is that with the advent of the Internet, those with strong opinions are free to upload their thoughts, without anyone first checking them for supportive evidence. And in beekeeping, there […]
Read MoreContents What the beekeeper can do. 1 seasonality. 2 detection and Sampling. 3 Queens And Nosema. 6 Deadout equipment. 7 citations and notes. 8 Nosema and dysentery: 5 Monitoring and Disinfection First published in ABJ October 2019 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com Some beekeepers are concerned about the current unavailability of fumagillin. Although the Canadians are […]
Read MoreContents Background. 2 The 2019 field test. 2 Results. 4 Those danged outliers!. 6 Overall efficacy. 7 Could there have been mite immigration from other colonies?. 8 Fate of the applied towels. 9 progression of action of treatment over time. 13 Results from others. 14 Mexico and uruguay. 14 Southeastern States with high humidity. 14 […]
Read MoreContents Why would a colony exhibit signs of dysentery?. 3 honeydew.. 4 Microbial dysbiosis or parastism.. 5 The link between pollen and nosema. 7 How about those “winter bees”?. 8 Literature cited. 10 Nosema and Dysentery: 7a The Causes of Dysentery in Honey Bees, Part 1 First published in ABJ December 2019 Randy Oliver […]
Read MoreContents First a return to queens. 1 Treatments for nosema. 2 fumagillin. 3 Alternative treatments. 3 What else is on the market?. 6 Nozevit®. 6 Hive alive®. 9 Acids in syrup. 9 Possibilities on the radar. 9 What if you don’t want to treat?. 9 citations and notes. 10 Nosema and Dysentery: 6 Treatment […]
Read MorePesticides in the News Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ in August 2019 Our beleaguered Environmental Protection Agency, tasked with protecting man and the environment, is caught between an unsupportive Administration and a public that is becoming more and more concerned about the effects of pesticides and climate change. I plan to return to […]
Read MoreContents Effects of nosema upon an individual bee. 1 Effects of nosema upon the colony. 2 Colonies can fight back. 2 Nosema and almond pollination. 4 Nosema and the queen. 7 How concerned should you be about nosema?. 8 The take-home message. 10 Coming. 11 citations and notes. 12 . Nosema and Dysentery: 4 […]
Read MoreContents Requisites for nosema to gain a foothold. 2 The importance of pollen to Nosema transmission and reproduction. 4 The connection between nosema and dysentery. 6 putting it all together. 7 Coming. 8 citations and notes. 8 Nosema and Dysentery: 3 The Seasonality and Effects of Nosema Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First Published in ABJ […]
Read MoreBelow are links to some classic beekeeping publications: Farrar 1944 Productive-management-of-honeybee-colonies USDA 1967 Beekeeping in the United States Scroll down to Moeller’s “Managing Colonies for High Honey Yields” Beekeeping-in-California_1987 I also recommend (or have had recommended): Storey’s Guide to Keeping Honey Bees, 2nd Edition: Honey Production, Pollination, Health, Malcolm Stanford. Malcolm has an easy-to-read writing […]
Read MoreContents The invasion of Nosema Ceranae. 2 How did ceranae get into the U.S.?. 5 Signs of nosema infection. 5 A key finding. 8 Next. 9 citations and notes. 9 Nosema and Dysentery: 2 The Enigma of Nosema Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com First published in ABJ July 2019 I’ve recently read Raquel Martin-Hernandez’s excellent review […]
Read MoreContents Selective breeding for mite resistance. 4 The 2018 season. 4 A visit to France. 12 My spring surprise. 13 Selection vs. Bottlenecking. 16 Choosing the breeders. 17 The big question ― heritability. 18 The importance of the drone pool 19 A Primer on Bee Genetics. 19 Bottom line. 21 Acknowledgements. 22 References. 22 […]
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