Articles

It has become obvious that we cannot reduce the stress that varroa mites cause to our honey bee colonies by starting our mite control in the fall. Although it is the dispersal (phoretic) mites feeding on colony adults or reproducing mites in capped pupae cells that we control, the real issue is that mites enable the spread of the deformed wing and paralysis viruses that lead to colony death. Most of you have had a chance to look at bees this spring. We MUST flatten the mite g

The pnwhoneybeesurvey is OPEN. Members of WVBA have been especially supportive of this annual survey of Oregon and Washington backyard beekeepers. Please participate before May 1st @ https://pnwhoneybeesurvey.com/survey/ . This will be the 17 th survey year. I have modified the survey so you can simply enter survival/loss this past winter and Fast Track avoiding responding to questions on management if you wish. For Oregon backyarders, the overall trend is essentially fl

The basis of honey bee winter survival lies in their ability to fo rm a winter cluster. The winter cluster is a precisely organized, dynamic structure that functions like a biological heating system. It is worker bees instinctively gathering together, centered around the queen and remaining brood. Ideally the winter cluster will form between boxes (in 2-3 box hive configurations). It moves upward as the season progresses to maintain contact with honey stores. This initial po

Most of us will use harvested honey as a dietary carbohydrate. I trust you were satisfied with the honey you were able to harvest this season? Your honey might be directly consumed or used to sweeten beverages, desserts, salads, cooked into main dishes, be dribbled on toast and used to help keep baked goods fresher for a longer period of time. Honey is a natural sweeter, perhaps preceding all other concentrated sugar sources to benefit human nutrition. There is another i