Category Archives: Bee behaviour

The Magic of drone congregation areas

Posted on January 6, 2024 by Emily Scott

Notes from a talk by Dr Stephen Fleming – co-editor of Beecraft magazine; he keeps his bees on Watership Down. Back in October Stephen spoke to a group of us gathered for the Cornwall Beekeepers’ Association and West Cornwall Beekeepers’ … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee behaviour | Tagged , | 14 Comments

Notes from Cornwall Beekeeping conference 2018 – Honey bee dances: new insights (2.)

Posted on September 27, 2018 by Emily Scott

Our first talk of last week’s conference was given by bee farmer Dan Basterfield and was all about honey bee dances and ‘The dance language controversy’. About Dan: Dan grew up with beekeeping around him and now helps to run … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee behaviour, Events | Tagged | 12 Comments

3rd Honey bee pests, diseases and poisoning revision post: the lifecycle of Varroa destructor and monitoring & treatment techniques

Posted on October 21, 2012 by Emily Scott

B3 a) describe the life cycle and natural history of Varroa destructor & b) how does it develop within the colony?  Varroa is the number one killer of colonies in the UK, so it’s really worth studying. Whereas European/American foul broods … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee behaviour, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 33 Comments

Bee macro shots by Drew Scott…and queen news!

Posted on April 18, 2012 by Emily Scott

You are in for a treat. In my last blog post I shared with you some of my boyfriend Drew’s awesome photos from Saturday, but I didn’t show many of the macro shots. Now you get the macro shots. Plus, … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee behaviour | Tagged , | 22 Comments

6th Honeybee behaviour revision post: honey bee foraging

Posted on March 17, 2011 by Emily Scott

This might be my last revision post for my BBKA Module 6 Honeybee Behaviour exam on Saturday! And I’ve only got half way through the syllabus. Section 6.7: the behaviour of the foraging bee and its work methods in the field including … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee behaviour, Exams | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

5th Honeybee behaviour revision post: bee communication

Posted on March 15, 2011 by Emily Scott

Another revision post for my BBKA Module 6 Honeybee Behaviour exam on Saturday. Section 6.5: the methods of communication used by the honeybee including food sharing (trophallaxis), dancing, scenting and vibration; Of all the ways human beings communicate, probably the only one … Continue reading →

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4th Honeybee behaviour revision post: social organisation of the colony

Posted on March 14, 2011 by Emily Scott

Another revision post for my BBKA Module 6 Honeybee Behaviour exam on Saturday. Section 6.5: the social organisation of the honeybee colony including worker policing Honeybee colonies rely on large numbers of more or less sterile individuals working together to raise young … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee behaviour, Bee biology, Exams | Tagged , | 5 Comments

3rd Honeybee behaviour revision posts: the queen’s egg laying behaviour & seasonal variations in the size of a colony

Posted on February 20, 2011 by Emily Scott

On with the revision posts for my BBKA Module 6 Honeybee Behaviour exam. I’m trying to work my way through the 21 sections on the syllabus, but the exam date is March 19th, so I’d better start doing more than one … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee behaviour, Bee biology, Exams, Queens | Tagged , | 7 Comments

1st Honeybee behaviour revision post: bee jobs

Posted on January 28, 2011 by Emily Scott

This is a revision post for the BBKA Module 6 Honeybee Behaviour exam. I’m trying to work my way through the syllabus, one section at a time. Starting at the beginning: 6.1 The candidate shall be able to give a … Continue reading →

Posted in Bee behaviour, Bee biology, Exams | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Module 6 here I come

Posted on January 8, 2011 by Emily Scott

I’ve taken the probably over-ambitious decision to take the British Beekeeping Association’s Module 6: Honeybee Behaviour written exam in March. I have about 9 weeks left to revise, which I’ll need because when I downloaded a past exam paper this … Continue reading →

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