Beekeeping Through the Eyes of a Biologist
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Dear U.S. beekeeper, Recent studies by Dr. Stephen Martin and associates have found that there is apparently a benign form of DWV that can out compete the virulent form, thus allowing colonies to survive despite varroa infestation. If this is true, it raises the possibility that we may be able to minimize the effect of […]
Read MoreHere is a slide show for general public presentation. Contains some old 35mm photos, which I hope to soon replace. Public general presentationPublic general presentation Share:
Read MoreUpdated Nov 2: The science of the effects of neonics upon pollinators is so contentious, that I am often asked to comment on new published studies. This study, which claimed an effect of neonics on queen mating, immediately garnered such requests. Unfortunately, the lead author was at conference at the time, and was unable to […]
Read MoreA Review of Dr. Lu’s paper on neonics in Massachusetts By Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com August 18, 2015 I was recently asked by a couple of extension horticulturalists to comment on Dr. Alex Lu’s most recent publication on the neonicotinoid insecticides. I hesitated to do so, since Dr. Lu feels that I’ve picked on him. […]
Read MoreBuilding a Better Mite Washer – Larry Clamp Notes from Randy: Tinkerer Larry Clamp put together a very nice set up illustrated instructions for building mite washer cups, and is generously sharing them. Thanks, Larry! The thin black screen from package bee cages (or some older veils) is easier to work with than hardware cloth, and […]
Read MoreUpdate 16 June 2016 I recently received an email from a Northeastern beekeeper, Erik Donley, about his experience with applying oxalic vapor to newly-hived package bees. Excerpts follow: * I installed 10 x 3LB packages (from OHB) in single deep hives. (April 17th) All but one hive had fully drawn out comb. (The 1 was starting […]
Read MoreSeasonal demographics of a colony headed by a vigorous young queen, shed wintered in Manitoba. Each band of color represents the proportion of bees in each 12-day age class at any time point. Red (0-12 days of age) through green (61-72 days) age cohorts represent short-lived “summer bees,” which rarely live longer than two months. […]
Read MoreTips for Designing Bee Research Projects Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com Revised 2 Jan 2016 (in purple) Beekeepers are known for being of curious and experimental minds. Since factors affecting beekeeping are continually changing, new unanswered questions are bound to arise; the beekeeper “citizen scientist” can often answer them himself by performing a well-designed experiment, and then share those […]
Read MoreI’m open to suggestions for interesting websites on beekeeping in countries other than the U.S. to link to–please email me suggestions. Ukraine:A commercial honey sales website, but with a nice summary of the history of beekeeping in that country http://www.honey-export.com/ Share:
Read MoreSorry for the low resolution of this snip of this Powerpoint slide that I created for a presentation. I’ve color coded the ellipses and arrows. Red is the pesticide active ingredient. Blue is the initial mode of exposure. Orange are the ages/temporal tasks of the bees involved. Green are the contaminated foods or combs. Note […]
Read MoreGMO updates Please don’t parrot misinformation–learn the actual facts! Introduction “GMOs” are a hot topic these days, due mainly to the media attention given to a few advocacy groups, as opposed to those who actually understand the science involved in the development of genetically-modified plants. I find this unfortunate, since the future of many species […]
Read MoreThe Major Problems Facing Bees and Beekeepers Number one is varroa. Varroa changed the virus dynamics within the colony. If either the bees or the beekeeper don’t keep the varroa infestation rate down to fewer than 5 mites per 100 bees, colonies start to suffer. At about 15 mites per 100, viruses go epidemic, and […]
Read MoreOctober 2014: Hi All, I’m freshly returned from the Western Apicultural Society Conference in Missoula, where we got to see the state of the art in remote hive monitoring. It won’t be long until we have some really user-friendly and affordable hive monitoring devices on the market. We’re also seeing a sea change in the […]
Read MoreThis page is not a finished product, but due to requests, I’ve posted a rough version. The Oliver “foolproof method” of queen rearing Step-by-step Oliver modification of the “Modified Swarm Box” Starter/finisher colony Click the link below to download my Powerpoint presentation, minus my voice. It is a large download and may take some time. […]
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