Apiology

Apiology – (from Latin apis, "bee"; and Ancient Greek -λογία, -logia) is the scientific study of honey bees.

Efficacy in the Varroa Mite, Varroa destructor, within commercial beekeeping operations

The parasitic mite Varroa destructor and the associated viruses it transmits are responsible for most instances of honey bee colony losses in the United States. As such, beekeepers utilize miticides to control Varroa populations. Widespread resistance has developed to the miticides fluvalinate and coumaphos. However, Varroa has largely maintained susceptibility to amitraz despite a long and extensive use history.

More:Amitraz

Coronavirus stings world's top honey makers with China beekeepers locked down

BEIJING (Reuters) - Beekeepers in China, the world's top honey producer, are bracing for a bleak start to the key spring pollinating season as travel curbs aimed at containing a coronavirus outbreak keep them at home while their bees go without food for weeks.

More: CoronaVirus

Functional Properties of Honey, Propolis, and Royal Jelly

Honey, propolis, and royal jelly, products originating in the beehive, are attractive ingredients for healthy foods. Honey has been used since ancient times as part of traditional medicine.

More: Propolis

What You Need to Know (And What We’re Working to Find Out) About Products Containing Cannabis or Cannabis-derived Compounds, Including CBD

You may have noticed that cannabidiol (CBD) seems to be available almost everywhere, and marketed as a variety of products including drugs, food, dietary supplements, cosmetics, and animal health products.

More:Cannabis

A mathematical model of honey bee colony dynamics to predict the effect of pollen on colony failure

The decline in colony populations of the honey bee, known as the Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD), is a global concern. Numerous studies have reported possible causes, including pesticides, parasites, and nutritional stress.

More: Pollen Model

Drone and Worker Brood Microclimates Are Regulated Differentially in Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones and workers show differences in morphology, physiology, and behavior. Because the functions of drones are more related to colony reproduction, and those of workers relate to both survival and reproduction, we hypothesize that the microclimate for worker brood is more precisely regulated than that of drone brood.

More:Microclimate

'Intensive' beekeeping not to blame for common bee diseases

More "intensive" beekeeping does not raise the risk of diseases that harm or kill the insects, new research suggests.

Intensive agriculture—where animals or plants are kept crowded together in very high densities—is thought to result in higher rates of disease spreading.

But researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of California, Berkeley found this is not the case for honeybees.

More:Intensive

Beekeeping in Vermont

The Caffinated Lives of Bees

Caffeine improves learning and memory in bees, as it does in people. Scientists know that. But, one might wonder, what do these laboratory findings mean in terms of the actual lives of bees? It’s not as if a flower meadow is sprinkled with coffee shops.

Details: Last Updated: 20 October 2015 20 October 2015

Tools For Varroa Management

A Guide To Effective Varroa Sampling & Control

The Honey Bee Health Coalition has released a reference guide to help beekeepers sample and control varroa mite levels in their colonies. Now that we are in the month of August, the traditional treatment month for Vermont beekeepers, the relase of this reference guide is very timely.

Click Here to Download: Tools For Varroa Management

Details: Last Updated: 12 August 2015 12 August 2015

HopGuard II Approved For Use in Vermont

The Vermont Agency of Agriculture has received approval from the EPA for the sale and use of HopGuard II in Vermont. HopGuard II offers a relatively benign method of varroa control that can be used throughout the beekeeping season, following the manufacturers recommendations and directions.

HopGuard II is a product produced by BetaTec Hop Products.

The national distributor of HopGuard II is Mann Lake Ltd. Please visit their website to learn more or to place an order.

This video by BetaTec shows how HopGuard II is applied to a hive.

Details: Last Updated: 28 February 2015 28 February 2015

Loss of Vermont hay fields limits food for bees

BETH GARBITELLI 12:13 a.m. EDT April 14, 2014

MONTPELIER – A slow change in agricultural practices is having an unintended consequence: limiting food for bees.

Since the 1980s, Vermont has lost more than 100,000 acres of hay fields that used to be full of bee friendly blooming alfalfa and clover. That means bees today aren’t finding as many flowering plants as they need to flourish. And while hay is still grown, it is often cut before it can bloom, making it more nutritious for cows but bad for bees.

Details: Last Updated: 21 December 2014 21 December 2014

Studying Clover and Bees in Vermont

VBA is working with the UVM Extension to promote the use of more pollinator plants that would enhance food resources for honeybees and other wild pollinators. As part of this initiative, the VBA would like to promote hay and pasture crops that are more ‘bee friendly’ without sacrificing forage quality that dairy and other livestock farmers are dependent upon. However, there is a need to conduct field trials on farms to actually determine the feasibility of various mixtures and management practices that would help the VBA meet these goals while dairy livestock farmers still meet their feed goals. Read more about the project here:

Enhancing Nectar Production with Clover - Innovative Methods to Utilize Alsike and White Clover in Vermont Hay Fields

Details: Last Updated: 05 May 2014 05 May 2014

Zombie Fly Discovered in Vermont Honey Bees

State Apiculturalist Steve Parise has confirmed that Zombie Fly Apocephalus borealis has been detected here in Vermont. This fly is native to North America. This fly attacks its host by injecting eggs into the abdomen; the emerging fly larva eats the insides of its host. This results in "Zombie" like behavior of the host.

The honey bee sampling was taken from an observant beekeeper in Burlngton. The affected honey bees were sent to San Francisco State University for testing. John Hafernik, a researcher and professor of biology at San Francisco State University has started a website tracking the discovery of infected honey bees in the United Stated. "Zombee Watch"

A Burlington Free Press article was recently published about the Vermont beekeeper and his experience in detecting the Zombie Fly. Killer 'zombie fly' maggots found in Vermont honeybees

For additional information about Apocephalus borealis, please click this link: Apocephalus borealis