Tag Archives: varroa mites

A Guide to Controlling Varroa

Posted on February 15, 2020 by

Spring is arriving in the north, and a young man’s mind thinks about romance. And varroa. There’s a nice new single-page guide that offers a quick look at integrated pest management (IPM) for the varroa beast. You can read some … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Remembering Eva Crane: Beekeeper and Physicist

Posted on June 12, 2019 by

June 12th. I have an excuse to write a bit about the amazing Ethel Eva Widdowson, born in London on June 12th, 1912. By age 30, she had defended her doctorate in nuclear physics, begun to teach at Sheffield University, … Continue reading →

Posted in Books, History, People | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Causes of Winter Losses

Posted on March 1, 2018 by

Spring teased us today. It looked good for a few minutes. The sun was shining and we could imagine that someday it could be Cancun-warm here. But we will get another layer of snow tonight here in western Canada. Nevertheless, … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests | Tagged , , | 9 Comments

Oh dear, a virus ‘jumps’ from plants to bees

Posted on February 18, 2018 by

The bane of the bee is varroa. We warn new beekeepers that varroa will kill their bees faster than they can say “varroosis“ five times.  Varroa kills. Thirty years ago, the mites weren’t as bad as they are now. In … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee Biology, Diseases and Pests, Ecology, Science | Tagged , , | 3 Comments

Support a Book

Posted on February 8, 2018 by

I’ve received a fascinating message from a relatively new beekeeper. The note was from a young man who is crowdsourcing funds to help pay for the translation and printing of an unusual beekeeping book. Mathijs Herremans is a young Dutch … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Books, Outreach | Tagged , , , | 2 Comments

Crazy Russian Hacker lost all his bees!

Posted on January 28, 2018 by

My son is a fan of a YouTube sensation who calls himself the “Crazy Russian Hacker.” Taras Kulakov came to America from the Ukraine as a child refugee. He’s 30 now. A few years ago, he began making fun videos … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests, Movies, Outreach, People, Save the Bees, Strange, Odd Stuff | Tagged , , , | 13 Comments

Have you lithium-chlorided your bees yet?

Posted on January 17, 2018 by

A friend (Thanks, Thomas!) sent a note this morning about a new mite treatment. It was developed at the University of Hohenheim, Apicultural State Institute, Stuttgart, Germany. Findings were published in Nature.  So, I am guessing that the science – … Continue reading →

Posted in Diseases and Pests, Save the Bees, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , | 21 Comments

Grade Six Kids’ Mite Detector Invention

Posted on May 16, 2017 by

What’s with kids who develop tools to attack mites and save bees?  A few weeks ago, I wrote about a group of Spanish youngsters on their way to Australia to compete in an international meet with their invention that may … Continue reading →

Posted in Diseases and Pests, Save the Bees, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , | 4 Comments

Have These Kids Found a Way to Kill Varroa?

Posted on April 25, 2017 by

I am a skeptic when it comes to ‘miracle’ cures to fight varroa. I think that the various expensive heat/sauna systems are a waste of time and money. A lot of natural treatments (icing/powdered sugar; essential oils; screened bottoms) are … Continue reading →

Posted in Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests, Save the Bees, Science, Tools and Gadgets | Tagged , , | 14 Comments

Humungus Bee Meeting

Posted on April 18, 2017 by

I thought that there can’t possibly be so many people curious about beekeeping.  But there are.  It’s great to see lots of folks interested in bees, ecology, the environment, and the sport of beekeeping. But the numbers amaze me. New … Continue reading →

Posted in Diseases and Pests, Friends, Outreach | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments