Platform for beekeeping practice and know-how

The tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima), also known as the Japanese varnish tree, is a tree belonging to the family Simaroubaceae that can reach a height of 25 to 30 metres. It originates from East Asia and was deliberately introduced into Europe in the 18th century for ornamental purposes, but above all in connection with silk production, as the plant served as a food source for a moth, the ailanthus silkmoth (Samia cynthia), which was intended to replace the mulberry silkworm (Bombyx mori).

For a long time, scientists believed that an organism’s genetic code alone determined its biological characteristics, its development, and its adaptation to its environment. Under the influence of various chemical or “external” factors, epigenetics can not only modify an organism’s appearance or behaviour, but can also transmit some of these modifications to subsequent generations…

Over the past year, articles dealing with the falsification of wax have frequently been published in the specialist press. The damage includes the collapse of combs, patchy brood patterns on newly built combs, and bees becoming trapped during emergence. The cause of these problems is the addition of stearin, paraffin, or other organic substances. Pesticide residues can also cause damage. As is known from experience with mothballs, there is likewise a risk that undesirable chemical additives in the wax may later appear in the honey.

Bees that build their own combs are less inclined to swarm, as the pheromones released during wax production inform the queen about the increase in the volume of the hive.

The wax originates from specialized glands located in the abdomen of young wax-producing worker bees approximately 12 days old, developing in an environment with temperatures between 33 °C and 36 °C. These workers consume large amounts of sugar for wax production, about 7.5 kg to produce 1 kg of wax. The wax appears in the form of small scales weighing less than 1 mg. Using her hind legs, the bee brings them to her mandibles, kneads them, and assembles them

Saffron, a highly valued culinary spice, consists of the dried stigmas of a crocus species, Crocus sativus, also known as cultivated saffron. It is a perennial herbaceous bulb plant whose flower has six tepals (tepals = floral organs similar to petals), which are mauve with violet streaks.

The eggs laid by the queen pass through several developmental stages. The first, which lasts barely three days, is the most critical, as it corresponds to the development of the nervous and digestive systems of the larva inside the egg. After hatching, the larval stage begins with the emergence of a larva without antennae, eyes, legs, or wings, which is fed exclusively on a diet of royal jelly for three days.

(Photo: kleinewelt)

Varroa destructor is currently considered the greatest threat to the survival of the honey bee (Rosenkranz et al. 2010). In addition to causing direct damage to bees through repeated consumption of their fat bodies and suppression of their immune system (Ramsey et al. 2019; Yang and Cox-Foster 2007), varroa mites also indirectly affect bees by transmitting several pathogens, notably the deformed wing virus (Boecking and Genersch 2008).

“On Saint Arsenius’ day, put your seeds away in a dry place.”
July is the month of the last honey harvest and of the summer chemical treatment against Varroa. It is often a very hot month, when water is scarce and flowering becomes limited. Bees are thirsty and may also start to draw on their reserves. For the beekeeper, activity remains very intense and will partly determine how the rest of the season unfolds.

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.

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).

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.