Thoughts on Varroa Mites

Posted on May 22, 2008 | 13 comments

A comment about varroa mites was left on my last post. Here are my replies to this comment…

“There has been no time for natural selection to evolve a response to varroa – which is why it kills our colonies.”

This is an interesting question…do honey bees need to “evolve” a response to varroa, or do they already have an instinctive response to the varroa mite? It seems that some bee strains do indeed have an instinctive response to the varroa mite, and this genetic trait can be passed along to other strains through selective breeding.
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Posted in Sustainable Beekeeping, Thoughts on Beekeeping

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Bee-friendly Beekeeping

Posted on May 1, 2008 | 9 comments

Humanity depends on the lowly honeybee

Honeybees are in trouble. Varroa mites, nosema, colony collapse disorder and foul brood have all taken their collective toll on the small but hardworking insect to which humanity owes so much. Besides furnishing honey for commercial bread-baking and beeswax for quite a few of the top of the line cosmetic supplies, bees regularly pollinate over one-third of the world’s agriculturally derived food supply. Needless to say, humanity depends on the lowly honeybee.
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Posted in Sustainable Beekeeping, Thoughts on Beekeeping

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First Hive in Use

Posted on April 30, 2008 | 2 comments

First Warre Hive in Colorado

On Tuesday, April 22, 2008, I installed a package of bees in the first Warre Hive here in Northern Colorado, USA. It has been one week since then, and the bees are happily living in their new home. They have been bringing in a good bit of pollen and and nectar. There is a creek in the gully near the hive, so I do not need put out any water for them.
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Posted in Nick's Bees, Warre Hive

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A New Colony

Posted on April 24, 2008 | 1 comment

Installing a bee package is easy when the bees are calm

Two days ago I was able to install a package of bees which were purchased from Ruhl Bee Supply into a Warre Beehive which I had assembled. The bees were surprisingly calm, considering they had just made a long trip from Southern California. After I readied the beehive by rubbing the inside with beeswax, I set it up on a steady hive stand made of 4×4’s and 2″ lumber. Then, I sprayed the bees with a spray bottle containing a mixture of sugar and water in order to make sure they remained completely calm.
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Posted in Beekeeping Advice, Warre Hive

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Warre Beehives…A New Experience

Posted on April 19, 2008 | 1 comment

In 2007, I discovered a new hive design

This spring (2008) I am experimenting with a new beehive design.  Since I started beekeeping, I have always used the standard ten frame Langstroth hive which is predominant here in America.  In the fall of 2007, I learned of a new hive design through the Organicbeekeepers Group on Yahoo.  This new hive design was named after its developer, Emile Warre.
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Posted in Nick's Bees, Sustainable Beekeeping, Warre Hive

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