Apiology

The study of honeybees...

List of Honey Bee Forage Species within Region 13 for the State of VT

The effects of age and behavioral development on honey bee (Apis mellifera) flight performance

A critical but seldom-studied component of life history theory is how behavior and age affect whole-organism performance. To address this issue we compared the flight performance of honey bees (whose behavioral development and age can be assessed independently via simple manipulations of colony demographics) between distinct behavioral castes (in-hive nurse bees vs outof-hive foragers) and across lifespan.

More: flightperformance

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:broodmicroclimate

Honeybee navigation en route to the goal: visual flight control and odometry

Recent research has uncovered a number of different ways in which bees use cues derived from optic flow for navigational purposes. The distance flown to a food source is gauged by integrating the apparent motion of the visual world that is experienced en route. In other words, bees possess a visually driven 'odometer' that is robust to variations in wind load and energy expenditure.

More:visualclues

How Honey Bee Colonies Survive in the Wild: Testing the Importance of Small Nests and Frequent Swarming

The ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor, and the viruses that it transmits, kill the colonies of European honey bees (Apis mellifera) kept by beekeepers unless the bees are treated with miticides.

More:Frequentswarm

Catch the Buzz

General Beekeeping News...

Beekeeping in Vermont...

North Yard Workshop Photos

Great weather at today's ACBA workshop where "Talking Bees with Chaz Mraz" was the program. Chaz covered many topics including making nucs, recognizing types of queens cells, mite monitoring, and treatment options as well as wide-ranging questions on Spring and Fall hive management. Pics (provided by Fred Putnam) are available on the VBA website gallery.

Details: Published: 16 June 2018 16 June 2018

Mares on Bee Democracy

VBA's Bill Mares on VPR recently discussing democracy as practiced by honeybees - with a nod to Thomas Seeley's Honeybee Democracy.

(VBA's Twitter feed also features the link and can be followed with RSS on our newsfeed page.)

Details: Published: 12 June 2018 12 June 2018

Speaker Needed in Hardwick

We received a request for a beekeeper to speak to a local organization in Hardwick in July. If you are interested, please look at the Opportunities page in the Members Only area of the website - login required.

Details: Published: 06 June 2018 06 June 2018

VBA May Board of Director Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the May 9th VBA Board of Directors meeting (held via conference call) are now available online. VBA members may read the minutes by logging in to the site and selecting Meeting Minutes under the Members Only top menu heading.

Details: Published: 13 May 2018 13 May 2018

Great Weather, Great Information

The group (pictured here) attending the May 12th North Workshop presented by the ACBA's Scott Wilson and Fred Putnam enjoyed good weather and a wealth of information. Topics included how to perform a beehive post-mortem following what has turned out to be a concerning winter for Vermont beekeepers with higher than usual losses reported and management of Varroa - of course.

Mites - The problem continues. Please read this from the Honey Bee Health Coalition: Tools for Varroa Management.

Details: Published: 13 May 2018 13 May 2018

Opportunities for Vermont Beekeepers

We're resurrecting a feature on the site called Opportunities for VBA members. These opportunities may be ways for you to help other beekeepers, schools, the general public or area orchardists needing pollination services. There really is no limitation to what is possible.

The first new listing is for someone in need of pollination services. VBA members can get the details by logging in to the VBA website and looking under the Members Only menu for Opportunities.