Professor David Evans is a virologist studying the biology of single stranded positive sense RNA viruses, including poliovirus, hepatitis C virus and deformed wing virus of honeybees. He has a fascinating, practical beekeeping blog, https://www.theapiarist.org/
- The Demaree method offers the tempting prospect of maximising your honey production and preventing swarming. Achieving both these things needs appropriate conditions, a strong colony, timely colony checks, and lots of lifting.
- Colony temperament is determined by their genetics, the amount you disturb them, and the environment. You must select the first of these when rearing queens. To do that well you need to minimise the second, and understand the third. This post discusses all three, and the role of pollen availability.
- Large, larger, largest. Some comparisons of honey bee egg sizes relevant to queen rearing. All other things being equal, the largest eggs are not laid in queen cups.
- Recent studies show that queens can lay larger eggs under certain environmental conditions. This provides a fascinating insight into honey bee biology, and provides new opportunities to rear bigger, better bees … and queens.
- I'm prepared for a bumper honey crop in 2026. It might not happen, but my supers are ready 'just in case'. Thoughts on tidying and storing your precious drawn comb, inexpensive protection from wax moth damage, and some musings on whether the weather can be used to predict the onset of swarming.
- Recent research suggests that there may be better protein components than brewer's yeast and soybean flour for use in pollen sub patties.
- Peace on earth, and goodwill to all men … and women. Particularly those that have to put up with a partner who keeps bees.
- What's hot, and what's not?
- Time for the annual review of the season; the good, the bad, and the ugly … plus a sprinkling of science on 'enforced supersedure'. In summary … mostly good, a little bad, and only the yellow legged hornets were really 'ugly'.
- How does the colony determine the queen should be superseded, and the implications this has for practical beekeeping? Plus the water preferences of honey bees, and some bumblebee-mimicking hoverflies.