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/
- Amitraz (Apivar) resistance, how and when it occurs, an explanation for the patchy distribution of resistance and the implications for practical beekeeping.
- Don't put up with bad-tempered bees. Re-queen them, either with a purchased queen or one you have reared. There are simple ways to improve your stocks that yield long-term benefits.
- The poor weather has reduced swarming activity this season, but when given the opportunity … off they go! How to stop losing them, or attract some that escape.
- There is a big demand for raw honey. A recent legal appeal challenged the use of the term 'raw' on labels, and highlighted the deficiencies in the honey regulations.
- Not every hive inspection makes sense. Big changes in the weather can result in all sorts of strange events … observe and learn … or take a wild guess.
- After a promising start, early summer has been disappointing. Here are some comments on queens, clearing supers and parliamentary candidates with long names.
- Grafting is the manual transfer of young larvae from worker comb to a cell cup for queen rearing. The principles, preparation, tools and techniques needed for successful grafting are described.
- Queenless colonies – and the mites they contain – survive a surprisingly long time. How do they arise, how do they decline, and what are the implications for practical beekeeping?
- Updates on the Asian (yellow legged) hornet in the UK and USA, including predicting future incursions and determining if/when it is established, the impact of introduced honey bees on native plant pollination and 'top tips' on preventing syrup going mouldy and counting phoretic mites.
- High season, busy hives, lots of bees. How to reassemble the hive after an inspection without leaving a trail of death and destruction behind.