Dogs are truly amazing, not only for their loyalty and affection but also for their incredible sense of smell. Hence,make sure that you are availing the best products for the best dog to make it stronger and smarter. Dog Gear Wise can help you to reach out the best dog products you can also visit it .It is common knowledge that their nose easily overpowers our own. In fact, it’s approximately 10,000 times better according to researchers at FSU. If you make use of the affordable dog day training available, they can be more efficient. James Walker describes it well: "If you make the analogy…
Month: November 2013
Growing Concern Over Chemical Synergism in Beehives
Honeybees are hoarders, they accumulate good things like different types of nectar and pollen, but like hoarders there are some unintended consequences to bringing in all of that forage. That consequence is the accumulation of different pesticides. We also add to their pesticide load when we treat for diseases. A study of hive samples in 2007-2008 found as many as 39 chemical residues in a hive, an average of six residues across hives, and the presence of at least one type of chemical in 98 percent of hives! To me this poses the question: how are the bees coping with these chemicals? We know that…
New Cell Cultures Advance Honey Bee Science
Cell cultures are cells that are removed from an organism and grown apart from the body in a controlled environment. Put another way, cells in a cell culture are living and reproducing, but are grown in a lab instead of as a part of a body. Cell lines are cell cultures that come from the same genetic background, meaning all cells grown from a cell line are from the same set of original cells. Cell cultures are grown in a controlled environment, allowing researchers to conduct highly controlled studies where cells can be exposed to different factors and the response of the cells is measured.…
Queens and Nosema ceranae
While I have only done it a few times, every once in a while a beekeeper will contact our lab and ask us to check a queen for Nosema spores. A couple weeks ago a beekeeper experienced unusual losses in his apiary. Since he wanted to cover all bases so to say, he also sent me a queen and a couple of workers from a dead out to examine for spores. Despite being sad about his losses, I was excited to do something out of the ordinary. For the most part, beekeepers and scientists alike are more interested in Nosema loads of worker bees. Nosema…
Trouble in Paradise: Pesticide Damage in Florida Citrus Groves
It was a tough spring in the citrus groves in Florida this year. We had a warm winter and cold spring which extended the bloom period an extra several weeks. With the devastating spread of Huanglongbing (HLB) a.k.a. citrus greening which is carried by the Asian citrus psyllid, many grove owners chose to spray certain insecticides (namely imidicloprid, a neonicotinoid class insecticide) during the bloom which is a violation of pesticide labeling. Many beekeepers (myself included) suffered extensive damage to our colonies resulting in colony death as well as a very poor honey harvest. Relationships between beekeepers and citrus grove owners in Florida have been…
Some Good Neighbor Policies for Urban Beekeepers
A few weeks ago, we had an incident at the University of Maryland involving the bees from our rooftop apiaries. A group on campus was giving away free Rita’s Italian Ice, and our bees felt inclined to participate in the event. I had a few friends send me pictures of what was going on. We have also heard that the bees have been getting into the trashcans on campus in search of soda and other “forage.” Currently, bee groups on campus are working towards having all of the campus trashcans fitted with lids that are animal-proof and insect-proof. Hopefully this will decrease the unwanted attention some…
The Basics of Moving Hives
At some point every beekeeper will need to move hives, whether it’s a beginning hobbyist bringing home their first colony or a seasoned professional moving an entire operation across the country. Here at the NorCal Bee Informed Partnership “headquarters” in Oroville, we recently relocated 4 rooftop colonies about a half mile away because some of the maintenance staff felt did not feel comfortable working on the AC units near the bees, and we wanted to avoid any issues before they happened! In this blog I would like to go through the basics of moving colonies and some lessons learned from our recent experience. Step 1:…
Why your drones are getting the boot
Drones, male bees, are not physically capable of doing work around the hive. They can’t sting, can’t collect pollen or nectar, can’t take care of the larvae, etc. They pretty much do only two things: eat and mate. Queens are produced when the weather is nice enough for them to mate, preferably over 70 and not windy. When the weather turns cold, drones are unable to perform their sole function. If there are no queens around to mate with, then drones are a suck on resources and worker bees stop rearing drones. Any drones left get booted out of the hive. In fall, it is…
Chalkbrood
Chalkbrood (Ascosphaera apis) is typically observed during the spring but symptoms can be seen throughout the year. Chalkbrood contaminates larvae when the spores are mixed with brood food. The fungus will outcompete larvae for food and eventually turn the larvae into a “chalk-like” mummy. The color of chalkbrood ranges from white to grey then starts to turn black-this is when the fungus is producing fruiting bodies. This is the most infectious stage of chalkbrood. The black looking mummies are often what you see outside on the entrance board or in front of the hive. At this point these mummies can spread spores to other colonies…