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Depiction:
The question comes up every year: should colonies be fed at the end of winter or not? The answer needs to be nuanced. Food reserves have a direct impact on the queen’s egg-laying activity. It is well known that generous reserves and regular nectar inputs clearly stimulate egg laying, and when pollen is abundant, nurse bees operate at full capacity.
(by Janine Kievits)
A drone-laying colony normally has no future. It can raise only males, either because its queen has lost the ability to fertilise the eggs she lays, or because there is no queen at all and laying workers have taken over. And yet, from time to time—very rarely, but it does happen—a beekeeper is surprised to discover a fine brood developing in a hive whose frames he was about to shake out. How can this be possible?
Castanea sativa Miller is the scientific name of the chestnut tree. It is a majestic, long-lived tree that can reach up to 40 metres in height and 15 metres in circumference. As it does not tolerate calcium and its salts, in particular carbonates (limestone), it is found on acidic soils; this explains why it is not evenly distributed in Valais.
The search for a suitable apiary location is subject to several conditions, including access to nectar and pollen resources. It is therefore important to be able to identify the different local plant species in order to assess the availability of these resources, or even to increase them if possible.
The quality of syrups used for winter feeding of bees is very often at the centre of lively discussions.
What should be the main qualities of a syrup:
- A composition close to that of honey
- Easily assimilated by the bee
- Requiring minimal energy for conversion and storage
- Good solubility (no crystallisation)
- Good stability (no fermentation)
- High purity and appropriate viscosity
In Switzerland, beekeeping is considered a leisure activity. Today, around 17,500 beekeepers look after approximately 188,000 colonies, with an average of 11 colonies per person. In Germany, an operation with more than 30 colonies is regarded as a hobby activity, while a professional beekeeper manages more than 300 colonies.
Impact of varroa infestation on thermoregulation in honey bee colonies: new findings indicate that varroa mites reduce bees’ ability to effectively regulate their body temperature, making them more vulnerable to cold temperatures.
These images are royalty-free and available for free download.
Please credit the author: S. Imboden – www.ApiSavoir.ch
American foulbrood is a serious and highly contagious brood disease. Incorrectly regarded by beekeepers as a shameful disease, many preconceived ideas about it persist. This is a good opportunity to revisit and clarify the subject.
Deciduous, monoecious, wind-pollinated shrub or tree. The pendulous male inflorescences consist of numerous small individual flowers. The small female flowers are enclosed in a bud from which only the red stigmas protrude and develop into oval, woody hazelnuts.
Among Asian knotweeds, the Japanese knotweed, whose scientific names are Fallopia japonica, Polygonum japonicum or Reynoutria japonica, is the most widespread. It belongs to the Polygonaceae family and originates from the Far East (eastern China, Japan, Korea). Introduced to Europe in the 19th century for its ornamental and forage properties, it proved to be invasive, spreading rapidly across large areas, particularly in moist environments.
One might assume that asexual reproduction leads to an evolutionary dead end, with the accumulation of deleterious mutations ultimately resulting in species extinction. Recent studies show that this is not the case, and the drone provides a well-studied example. The particular case of reproduction in Varroa destructor is illuminating: these mites exhibit fewer deleterious mutations than other sexually reproducing insects …
Examples of asexual reproduction in certain animals include: the hammerhead shark, the leopard shark, the sawfish, the sea anemone, the Komodo dragon, the gecko, the aphid, the scale insect …
The implementation of a sentinel bee project, through its epidemiological dimension, constitutes the only approach capable of shedding light on the causes of the significant losses that have been affecting bee populations for nearly twenty years. Moreover, such a project makes it possible to assess the state of the environment in which colonies live—an environment that is also our own—in which the bee, owing to its sensitivity to toxic contaminants, plays an early warning role.
During foraging, honey bees exhibit remarkable cognitive abilities. However, pesticides and heavy metals disrupt neuronal communication, impair foraging behaviour, and ultimately place the entire colony at risk.
Invasive plants are non-native plant species that have been introduced intentionally or accidentally by humans outside their area of origin and that reproduce and spread extensively, to the detriment of native species. Most often originating from other continents, they profoundly disrupt ecosystems and reduce local biological diversity.
A honey bee colony cannot exist without a queen. She is the only fertile female individual in the colony. Normally, there is only one mated adult queen per hive. She is usually the mother of most, if not all, of the bees in the hive. Through the pheromones she secretes, the queen is able to influence the bees of her colony. In addition, characteristics such as vitality, gentleness, swarming behaviour, disease resistance, and performance are largely determined by the queen.
Horizontal or creeping cotoneaster (Cotoneaster horizontalis) is a shrub native to China that was introduced to Europe at the end of the 19th century. For a long time, it remained confined to parks and gardens, where it is appreciated for forming a dense ground cover that blankets rock gardens and stabilises slopes.
Herbaceous annual or biennial plant bearing racemose inflorescences with yellow flowers and long siliques (fruits). Oilseed rape is an important agricultural crop, cultivated as fodder or for its oil-rich seeds used in industry and food production.
For millions of years, bees have ensured the survival of their species through swarming. Swarming is a natural process whose main objective is to create new, healthy and genetically diverse colonies (the males that will mate with the virgin queen in a new territory have a different genetic background). Beekeepers, however, want colonies that develop well and become strong without swarming. A colony with swarming intent (swarming fever) no longer builds comb and collects little nectar. The summer harvest is often lost. How can this swarming fever be suppressed? A new method developed by the Sion Beekeeping Association (www.ApiSion.ch) appears promising.
The colour of pollen varies depending on the plant species: it ranges from white to black, but most often pollen is yellow or orange, as well as light brown or greenish. Based on colour, certain typical pollens can be recognised (for example, poppy pollen is black and phacelia pollen is blue), but only microscopic analysis allows precise identification of the pollen type.
The Asian hornet has continued its expansion since its arrival in France 20 years ago.
In 2024, it has reached the borders of Valais, and the Saint-Maurice gorge will most likely not constitute an insurmountable barrier for this highly well-adapted invader.