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/
- What was read and what was not? What does this tell us about the beekeeping year, and the interests and priorities of beekeepers? And why is there so much interest in 'mad honey'?
- Gone, but not forgotten. The highs and lows of the beekeeping season, ignoring all the messy bits, mistakes and things I'd rather forget. Another year older, another year wiser … perhaps.
- A winter oxalic acid treatment is beneficial for the season ahead and may help reduce miticide resistance issues … but timing it correctly is important.
- Pollination activity and how to influence it, and the production of even bigger, better queens … two examples of how science provides insights to the fascinating biology of bees.
- A miticide-rich brew this month; new restrictions on oxalic acid, how to discard Apivar strips and, peripherally related, mandatory registration of beekeepers. And some other stuff on hornets and social media.
- What determines whether swarmed colonies produce afterswarms (casts) and what weather determines whether bees forage well or not?
- Late season tasks in the apiary; mites, brood, contrary bees building brace comb and the characteristic signs of a hive in terminal decline.
- How will climate change impact bees and beekeeping? Flooded apiaries and poor queen mating might be the least of our problems. Don't think it won't happen … it already is.
- How is fake or adulterated honey identified? How do the fraudsters escape detection, and what novel methods might allow adulterated honey to be identified in the future?
- Local honey, local bees and local associations are all beneficial, but what do beekeepers mean by 'local'?