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Last Wednesday the USDA released its newly redrawn Plant Hardiness Zone Map. The map is based on the average lowest winter temperature in a given area—not the lowest temperature ever—and is calculated from data collected over the last 30 years. The new map was compiled at Oregon State University using GIS software. Plant Hardiness [...] Lots of folks want to know if bees consume more food in warm winters or cold winters. I’ve been searching for scientific data on this for quite a while but I haven’t found any. So, for what it’s worth, I hereby offer my opinion. Based on hearsay and my own beekeeping experience, I believe [...] A lot is written about how to monitor mite loads with a sticky board. A sticky board is just a piece of thin wood or corrugated plastic that is covered with a sticky substance—usually pan spray—and placed below a screened bottom board. A certain number of mites drop off and stick to the board. [...] The weather service predicted an inch of snow. When we got something over 22 inches, I wasn’t surprised. After all, I’ve listened to those folks guess at the weather for years. I know how well they do. I love snow and this was particularly nice. Fluffy and light, it mounded in graceful undulations over [...] Thank you for visiting Honey Bee Suite. I want to mention that, following an unusual winter storm, I just braved a week of no electricity, no running water, no flush toilets, no propane heat, no telephone, and most importantly, no Internet connection. Ouch. All of which explains (I hope) why I haven’t posted or [...] A number of years ago my daughter and I went on a pie trip. I had just read American Pie: Slices of Life (and Pie) from America’s Back Roads by Pascale Le Draoulec, then I sent it to my daughter who also read it. At the same instant we knew what we would do. [...] Recently a friend pointed out that the popularity of beekeeping ebbs and flows in a big way. The fluctuation is caused not by commercial beekeepers but by hobbyists and side-liners who tend to segue in and out of the hobby with the fad of the day. The previous big surge in beekeeping occurred in [...] Experienced beekeepers frequently talk about brood pattern. But what is a brood pattern and how do you tell a good one from a bad one? A brood pattern is nothing more than the place where the queen laid her eggs. Simply put, the brood pattern is the shape of the brood nest. The queen [...] At least not in the way we’d like. In the past few years a flood of articles has heralded native pollinators as “saviors”—groups of selfless, tireless, seldom-seen gladiators that are going to step in and save our food supply once the honey bees die off. This is a comforting thought, and perhaps one day [...] |
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