A couple of days ago I started for the new season, to check colonies for need of food and for increase of space for bees and brood. I want to give you some glimpses. I checked four apiaries that afternoon.
Colony 47
Colony 47 is a remarkable colony. It started as a walkaway split last year. From colony 236. It is placed in apiary 4 as colony no 7. The split was moved from apiary 23 to apiary 4. When I checked
Multitest colony prepare to boom
You know the MT-colony – testing natural positioning, plastic frames, mostly honey as winter store, and a mouse nest… A couple of days ago, about 12°C (52F) and sunny, still no fresh high value pollen (some from early blooming trees).
Plastic positioning and the mouse
You remember the previous post about the “multiple test”(MT)-colony, natural positioning, plastic frames, a mouse (or mice), mild winter and what a good condition this colony came out with now in spring. I’ve been thinking about it. Mild winter Yes
First cleansing flight after winter
Autumn was warm, with bees flying in november. That’s rare. Winter was mild, only 2-3 weeks with steady freezing temperatures day and night in January. That’s rare too. Spring has come slow with temperatures just above freezing. Sun is rising
Struggle for resistant bees
Yes, do struggle for resistant bees. Don’t just talk about it! Or say an easy no, it’s impossible, or an easy yes: ”Just do like I tell you.” Tell me your success story. I tell you mine, well a part
I don’t count mites
I know it can be beneficial to count mites. But I don’t have the time. But those colonies I check for VSH, they will get figures enough to get the infection rate for mites in brood. (But I just check
Sharing varroa mites
Mites spread easily to other bee colonies. Sometimes though this seems not to be of great importance when designing tests or setting up areas for developing mite resistant bees. Sometimes one can wonder why ’control colonies’ in tests are placed
Killer factor alone is not enough
Progress is accomplished by people devoted to find solutions to problems and make life easier for all of us. When people are dedicated for a task, we should be grateful and try to help if possible. Sometimes though it may
Europe versus USA: breeding varroa resistence
Rüdiger Dietrich’s comment is so good I made it into a post of its own as well. Thanks Rüdiger! As a German I have of course to answer to Eriks contribution “Breeding for Varroa resistance: Germany versus USA”…:-). When commenting