How do beekeeper’s stewardship concepts relate to beekeeper beliefs and practices around Varroa management? That is the question asked by Christopher Thoms et. al. in their 2018 paper titled, “Beekeeper stewardship, colony loss, and Varroa destructor management” linked here. This study was based on data collected from the Bee Informed Partnership Loss and Management Survey, […]
Early spring can be a time requiring patience for beekeepers in northern locations. The weather can be volatile, but the occasional sunny days bring about bee activity. As a beekeeper it can be tempting to open hives and start digging around once you see some flight activity, but the reality is that you may end […]
Now that we have your attention, please note that we do not really have anything more to say about sign twirling. This was, however, the 3rd annual sign twirl for Auburn University student Adler Salem. We think he gets better each year! More importantly, this is the 14th year of the Survey, and for this […]
Given the circumstances, we hope everyone is staying healthy these days! Spring is proliferating, with fields of blooming clover, pollen-covered cars, and the buzz of flying bees. Although these are unusual times, let’s do one thing as usual in April: Let’s take the Bee Informed Partnership’s annual Colony Loss and Management Survey! Just click here: […]
The vast majority of the commercially managed honey bee colonies in the United States spend February and a portion of March pollinating almonds in the central valley of California. Almond pollen is very nutritious, and colonies build well on it when favorable weather conditions prevail during bloom. The weather during almond pollination season in 2020 […]
I am fortunate to spend a lot of time reading and listening to a lot of beekeeping and bee science topics which inevitably leads to coming across terms I have to look up. A couple years back I compiled a list of these challenging words and turned it into a Five Dollar Bee Words blog. […]
When asked “Besides a hive tool, a smoker and a veil, what is your favorite tool in the beekeeper’s toolbox?” fellow BIP field specialist Dan Aurell replied with NITRILE GLOVES! There are a lot of situations where a beekeeper (especially a BIP field specialist) might want to pull on some nitrile gloves. The most obvious […]
Most new beekeepers find out about robbing the hard way when they either spend a little too long poking around in colonies at the wrong time of year, arrive in a bee yard already to find a frenzy of activity around hive entrances, or encounter the aftermath in the form of dead colonies and empty […]
Happy New Year! I’m jumping for joy that I will begin 2020 as Executive Director of the Bee Informed Partnership. A couple of weeks in December alongside BIP’s former beloved ED, Karen Rennich, introduced me to the incredible behind-the-scenes work to which BIP’s staff members dedicate themselves to keep BIP’s services accessible and meaningful for […]
Holiday Greetings!, Beekeepers participating in Bee Informed programs have access to a broad network of apiculture specialists. From the Bee Health Field Specialists that provide hands-on assessments with commercial beekeepers to the lab and database techs, and subject matter experts that provide timely insights to current trends, diagnosis of observed problems, and current and best […]
