Small cell bees are hygienic A research team at the University of Lublin, Poland, has been studying bees on small cells. One of the experiments concerns the clearance of dead capped brood (needle-killed pupae), a trait that is important for
Experiences with varroa-resistant bees
Resistance conference in Hallsberg 12 Nov We who work with varroa resistance in Hallsberg and the surroundings will have our fourth annual conference on varroa resistance and treatment free beekeeping. Anyone who is interested is welcome! In previous years, there
Breeding varroa-resistant bees pays off!
Breed varroa-resistant bees! The study of EurBeST states that varroa-resistant bees are important for beekeeping. In 2017, the European Commission appointed an international group of bee researchers led by the German Bee Institute in Kirchhain to find out more about
Updated Elgon website
I have had this blog for some years now. And I had originally a website in both English and Swedish for many years, which were also not updated for many years. 1.5 years ago or so I updated the English
Bashing temper of a daughter of a breeder
The feeders I use. The gate has the angled plastic cover inserted when feeding to protect the bees from entering the whole area of the sugar solution A few days ago I removed the last feeder after giving the
Bees grooming, shaking and biting mite
Already in 2002 Sven-Olof Ohlsson in Munsala Finland filmed bees grooming, shaking and biting mites. I have published two of his video clips on YouTube for him. You can see one here where the the mite had attached fast between
The Bee Shaker – where to take the sample
It has been discussed where to take the bees when making the test for infestation level of Varroa mites with the Bee Shaker. From a brood frame or just near the brood. The first week of May, I did a
Varroa resistant worker bees
Magnus was a beekeeper in his youth in western Sweden. He quit in 1996 but started again in 2013 with his wife Ulrika. Then they bought from an older beekeepers a pavilion with seven bee colonies, most of which were
Treatment select for increased reproduction rate
Varroa mites multiply in bee larvae. After they come out of the cell when the bee is fully formed, they sit on the adult bees and suck hemolymph. It was observed many years ago that during the brood period of the
The bee shaker and varroa resistance
One mite from 300 bees. I understand that sometimes it’s a good idea to get an idea of the infestation level of varroa mites in bee colonies. You can take samples from a couple of colonies in an apiary to