Vermont Beekeepers Association

Apiology

The study of honeybees...

Detection of amitraz resistance and reduced treatment 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.

More:Amitraz

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

RNA virus spillover from managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) to wild bumblebees (Bombus spp.)

The decline of many bumblebee species (Bombus spp.) has been linked to an increased prevalence of pathogens caused by spillover from managed bees. Although poorly understood, RNA viruses are suspected of moving from managed honeybees (Apis mellifera) into wild bumblebees through shared floral resources.

More:Bombus

Seasonal variation of pollen collected by honey bees (Apis mellifera) in developed areas across four regions in the United States

For honey bees (Apis mellifera), colony maintenance and growth are highly dependent on worker foragers obtaining sufficient resources from flowering plants year round. Despite the importance of floral diversity for proper bee nutrition, urban development has drastically altered resource availability and diversity for these important pollinators.

More: Pollendiversity

Beekeeping in Vermont

Fred Putnam Jr. speaking at Killington Town Office

If you happen to bee in Killington on August 8, 11:00 A.M. buzz on over to the Killington Town office to hear Fred teach kids about honeybees, beekeeping, culminating with a fabulous Vermont honey tasting.This is part of the Town of Killington kids summer camp organized by the Town of Killington Recreation Director, Cathy Foutch.

Details: Last Updated: 30 April 2018 30 April 2018

Tunbridge Fair Volunteers Needed

A VBA Volunteer is still needed for the following shift at Tunbridge Fair!

Saturday - Sept 15th - 1pm to 5pm

We need your email address, home address and phone # so we can send the ticket for attendance. Contact Bob Haven directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Details: Last Updated: 29 August 2018 29 August 2018

Peter Hadeka Talks Bees at VINS

VBA Ambassador Extraordinaire Peter Hadeka was at the Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS) Incredible Insect Festival on July 7 and reports success!

"They had a tent and table, chairs, all ready for me. I brought some props, super with new and used frames, smoker, VBA brochures, some honey, for tasting and a little to sell. I also borrowed an observation hive from Bob Davin in Hubbardton. That was a big hit for sure. Not only the kids but the adults were thrilled to see a Queen etc.

"They said that they had 450 visitors and many of them wandered around and visited my display. The weather improved so it was a delightful day for sure. (Fairly close to my set up they had a couple of presentations with live birds of prey. Many of them flying between two people. Pretty impressive display.)

The festival ran from 10 to 5. I was set up before 10 and left after 5. Never sat down the whole time."

If you are interested in helping us promote beekeeping in Vermont and the VBA please contact us.

Details: Last Updated: 08 July 2018 08 July 2018

VBA Recognition Program

The Vermont Beekeeper’s Association created the Vermont Beekeeper Recognition Program (formerly the Beekeeper of the Year Award) to recognize and celebrate the contributions of Vermont beekeepers that support beekeeping in Vermont and have provided outstanding service to the VBA. The intent is to recognize lifetime achievement rather than contributions in a single year.

Details: Last Updated: 31 July 2019 31 July 2019

2018 Summer Meeting Minutes & Financials

VBA Members: The minutes and financial statement from the 2018 Summer Meeting have been posted online in the Members Only area of the VBA website. Minutes compiled by Steve Silverman with assistance from Lisa Newton.

Details: Last Updated: 01 July 2018 01 July 2018

VBA Policies Online

A new website category can be found under the Members Only area. The Policy menu choice includes VBA organizational policy notices and statements about issues affecting beekeeping in Vermont.

The first (new) notice posted is an explanation of guidelines, criteria and priorities for donations made by the Vermont Beekeepers Association.