There’s a particular kind of quiet that falls over a room of bee farmers when a bee inspector puts up a photo of a frame and asks what’s wrong with it. Nobody wants to be the one who gets it wrong. I spent a day in a room like that…
KYellow-legged hornet 2026 rolling update
Please report sightings of Yellow-legged hornets (YLH), also known as Asian hornets, on this online form or download the free Asian hornet Watch app for Apple devices or android devices. As of 01/10/2026: To view the location of destroyed nests, please visit the map page and choose the Asian Hornet map…
Talking the talk
The winter may feel never-ending, but in person and online talks offer the opportunity to improve your understanding, learn something new, and make the ‘off season’ seem just a little shorter.
Repellent smellents
It might be possible to create pesticides repellent to honey bees that reduce the accumulation of the sub-lethal chemicals that have a long-term detrimental impact on colony health.
Drone congregation areas … or not?
Some equinoctial thoughts on success and failure in beekeeping, and attempts to understand my woefully poor queen mating this year. Mating occurs in drone congregation areas (DCAs) … or does it? A recent review questions the evidence supporting the role for DCAs in queen mating.
Here’s one I repaired earlier
Looked after properly, beekeeping equipment should last for years. Looked after improperly, it will need to be repaired … but will also last for years. Here are some fixes to major damage and minor holes in poly hives, and repairs/rebuilds of two essential pieces of equipment.
Wiggly mites, waggly dances, and queen cell cups
Tropilaelaps in Turkey, recent studies of the complexity of the waggle dance, and (yet more studies on) the influence of queen cup size on the size of the resulting queens. Bigger is not always better.
Tropilaelaps discovered in the Republic of Türkiye
On 31 August 2026, Turkish authorities confirmed the detection of Tropilaelaps mites in the Borçka region that borders with Georgia, where the pest has previously been reported. UK authorities have introduced additional import controls aimed at reducing the risk of Tropilaelaps entering Great Britain through trade pathways. Details of these…
How to : Feeding fondant
Why choose fondant, where to buy it, and how to use it. Save money by using fondant to feed your bees in autumn, and — perhaps more important — make your beekeeping easier.
Did the treatment work?
When, why and how to take pre- and post-treatment mite counts, and what to do with the numbers. Is it routinely needed, and when should you definitely do it? And if you thought that was confusing, when do miticides work but not work?