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American Bee Journal

The Classroom – January 2024

Q  Preventing Varroa virus transmission  Has there been any research on practical methods to prevent the viruses that are transmitted through Varroa? We all want Varroa to go away but it seems like it will be here for a while. Could we treat or prevent the viruses from getting into the bee colony, fight the result of Varroa? For example,…
UOVBA News Bot
January 22, 2024
American Bee Journal

Honey Extractors of the 1870s: Part 1

The January 1870 American Bee Journal contained an article by J.L. Peabody, who presented a description and a picture of a honey extractor invented by his brother H.O. Peabody (see Figure 1). During this early time of developing a suitable honey extractor, numerous creative designs arose. Some of these designs would be surprising to the modern beekeeper –– the Peabody…
UOVBA News Bot
January 22, 2024
American Bee Journal

Notes from the Lab – January 2024

Honey bees are experiencing unsustainable colony loss rates, and many species of wild pollinators are experiencing range contractions and population declines. Pesticides are not the only reason for these problems, but hundreds of scientific studies show very clearly they’re contributing. For this and other reasons, some people think we should get rid of pesticides. But that’s not currently practical. Our…
UOVBA News Bot
January 22, 2024
American Bee Journal

Summer Swarms Abandoning Their Queens

Typically, we consider bees of a swarm to be very sensitive to the presence of their queen, even swarms occurring in the summer. A swarm flying off and abandoning its queen is counterintuitive. With that unsettling notion in mind, consider the three following case studies, along with photographic documentation, never published before.   Case 1: The first incident occurred on…
UOVBA News Bot
December 18, 2023
American Bee Journal

A Promising New Antiviral Therapeutic for honey bees

Every beekeeper knows varroa is the greatest biological threat to honey bee colonies throughout the world. But in fact, this is only partially true. Varroa feeds on bee fat bodies, and because fat bodies are essential to the immune system of bees, feeding by varroa weakens bees’ immune response. At the same time, viruses such as deformed wing virus (DWV)…
UOVBA News Bot
December 18, 2023
American Bee Journal

Make Every Holiday a Bee Holiday

A Regional Breakdown of How to Schedule Beekeeping Tasks Isn’t it hard to “slow down” these days? Of course it makes sense that beekeepers are as busy as bees. In my work as an apiary inspector, I find myself scheduling inspections with beekeepers further and further in advance of when we meet. We schedule inspections two and three months before…
UOVBA News Bot
December 18, 2023
American Bee Journal

How To Control Small Hive Beetles In Your Apiary

Charlene, a beekeeper in Georgia, described the nightmare she discovered in her only hive. After a summer trip to Nashville, she returned to find foul-smelling honey reminiscent of acetone pooling on the varroa drawer. From there it had sluiced off the edges in viscous globs that rolled in the dirt and settled atop the soil like cocoa-dusted bonbons. Inside the…
UOVBA News Bot
December 18, 2023
American Bee Journal

Letters to the Editor – December 2023

Division of Labor Just thought I would share this picture of a cute piece of artwork we found at the New Brunswick Botanical Garden in Edmundston, NB.  Very cool depiction of the division of labor in the hive. Enjoy. Clyde Dildine Sisters, Oregon   Eugene responds: Very cool, Clyde! Looks like you fit right in there. All you need is…
UOVBA News Bot
December 14, 2023