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Depiction:
The first difficulty for a beginner beekeeper is choosing a hive. There are many systems, and all of them have their advantages and disadvantages, their supporters and their critics. It is important to choose hives carefully so that the colony develops well, production is satisfactory, overwintering proceeds properly, and beekeeping remains a pleasure. Dadant, Langstroth, Voirnot, Alsacienne, WBC, Warré, Layens, Simplex, Zander, National … and all the others: which is the best hive? How can one make a decision when starting out in beekeeping and the opinions of the “experienced beekeepers” diverge?
Some flowers produce a blue halo on their petals to attract pollinators
Acquired and controlled through evolution, a degree of “disorder” in the nanometric structure of the petals of many flowers allows for more efficient pollination.
Researchers have discovered that some flowers have developed an additional strategy to encourage insects to forage on them. An ultraviolet halo effectively attracts pollinators.
Image: Ursinia speciosa, like other flower species, produces a blue halo on its petals to attract pollinators. © Edwige Moyroud
Like any living organism, the honey bee can become ill. The beekeeper must remain vigilant, as a disease can have serious consequences, especially if it is a so-called “notifiable contagious disease” (MRC). A beekeeper who has been practising this activity for many years will immediately detect even the slightest anomaly in the hives. For a beginner, however, it is often very difficult to identify a disease; this is why they must be much more observant, considerably more inquisitive, and always very attentive to what is happening on the landing board.
Monoecious deciduous tree or shrub. The flowers are unisexual, yellow-green, and arranged in racemes or panicles. The samara (fruit) consists of two seeds joined in a helical shape and is dispersed by wind. Species of importance for bees include: sycamore maple (A. pseudoplatanus), Norway maple (A. platanoides), and field maple (A. campestre).
Propolis is a complex material, composed mainly of resins derived from various plant species, but also containing variable amounts of wax produced by the bees themselves.
Honey bee colonies meet their requirements for proteins and mineral salts by consuming pollen. They therefore need an adequate supply of pollen. How much pollen do honey bee colonies collect each year? This article attempts to answer that question.
When one speaks of alfalfa, one first thinks of cultivated alfalfa, Medicago sativa, a perennial herbaceous plant native to the Middle East with blue-violet flowers; however, there are other species with flowers in different shades, ranging from yellow to white, via green and brown. All are highly melliferous.
It has become clear that honey bees can develop several strategies to reduce infestation by Varroa. This has been demonstrated both in untreated wild colonies and in selected colonies (such as bees exhibiting the VSH behaviour of the USDA in Bâton-Rouge). Resistance strategies can be classified into two types: those associated with the brood and those associated with the period during which Varroa is present on adult bees.
Deciduous tree or occasionally evergreen, monoecious and wind-pollinated, with inconspicuous, greenish and unisexual flowers. The male flowers are pendulous and grouped in catkins, whereas the female flowers are rounded and hardly visible, developing into acorns (nut fruits).
The Asian hornet is poorly named, since the vast majority of hornets (including our European hornet) originate from Asia. Scientists are more precise and refer to it as Vespa velutina nigrithorax. This Latin designation could be translated as “large wasp, covered with numerous short, silky hairs, with a black thorax”. It belongs to the hymenopteran insects (bearing 4 membranous wings that couple in flight via a series of small hamuli) Apocrita (with a narrow wasp waist). Its portrait is clearly less poetic...
Among the various goldenrod species with invasive characteristics are the late or giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) and the Canadian goldenrod (Solidago canadensis). It is rather difficult to distinguish between these two invasive species originating from North America, especially as they readily hybridise with one another.
Neonicotinoids are extremely ecotoxic pesticides. By infiltrating all environmental compartments, they indiscriminately kill both vertebrates and invertebrates. Despite their ban in 2018, traces of these substances persist in the environment at lethal concentrations.
Dioecious tree or shrub with deciduous leaves. The male flowers have yellow anthers; the female flowers are inconspicuous, greenish, and develop at maturity into capsules rich in seeds.
Although the wax moth has a very bad reputation, beekeeping manuals often underestimate the damage caused by the larvae of the greater wax moth Galleria mellonella and the lesser wax moth Achroea grisella, which consume everything that comes within reach of their mandibles (wax, food reserves, pollen stores, wood, polystyrene—not to mention the brood!). It is commonly assumed that strong colonies can defend themselves very easily against wax moths … but this is not always the case. In fact, wax moths reproduce very rapidly, and the larvae of the greater wax moth feed on capped brood, sheltered from counter-attacks by worker bees. As a result, the bee population may decline, as may the colony’s defences against this formidable pest. Selection for overly gentle bees and the pheromonal mimicry of the wax moth, which imitates queen pheromones, can ultimately lead to colony collapse.
Despite these harmful effects, it should be emphasised that wax moths fulfil an important hygienic function, especially in the context of “poor” beekeeping practices. They destroy abandoned bee nests and return the recovered materials to the natural cycle. In this way, pathogens responsible for diseases such as American foulbrood and European foulbrood are also eliminated.
by DALILA BOVET
Personality in animals can be discussed when consistent individual differences are observed over time and expressed across different contexts. Some bees prove to be more attracted to novelty than others. These behavioural differences are based on genetic variations. Can we therefore conclude that bees have a personality?
Good beekeeping practice: Every beekeeper should try to rear a few queens in order to maintain and improve the quality of their stock. In this short course, I will attempt to present a queen-rearing technique that incorporates certain tips used by royal jelly producers. This method requires only minimal investment, and no queen is lost.
Under the screened bottoms of our hive floors, it is advisable to place a drawer. Various debris, poorly stored in the cells, end up on this board and can sometimes provide information without having to open the hive.
Last year, the publication of specialised articles on the contamination and adulteration of beeswax shook the beekeeping community. Among beekeepers, awareness has grown regarding the importance of the condition of wax: indeed, both the quality of our products and, of course, the health of our colonies depend on it (1).
Today, many so-called “probiotic” products are available on the market, intended to improve our health or sometimes even that of our livestock, such as bees1. Probiotics are formulations based on microorganisms that maintain beneficial relationships with their host. The purpose of this article is to provide elements for reflection in order to understand how such products might potentially contribute to combating diseases of the honey bee.
In the honey bee, as in all insects, the haemolymph fills the entire internal cavity protected by the cuticle. This cavity is called the haemocoel. There is no network of veins and arteries: the organs are bathed in the haemolymph, which supplies the organism with the necessary components. It is referred to as an extracellular fluid. A long tubular vessel, the heart, pumps the haemolymph and ensures the circulation of the fluid throughout the organism.
Most bee races do not leave the hive if the outside temperature is below 10 to 12 °C.
Hives should not be opened if the temperature is below 15 °C. If an inspection lasts too long, there is a risk of chilling the brood, which can lead to its death or to diseases. Calm movements are essential, and one should never lose control of the situation!