Tag Archives: varroa

‘The Cornish Bee’ – notes from a talk by Rodger Dewhurst, Gwenen Apiaries

Posted on August 16, 2018 by Emily Scott

Last Sunday I went to a ‘Bee Fayre’, which is an annual weekend event held at Enys Gardens in Penryn, Cornwall. It was a haven for bee fans, filled with stalls selling every bee themed product you can think of, … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease prevention, Queens | Tagged | 6 Comments

The honey month

Posted on August 11, 2014 by Emily Scott

August is the end of the beekeeping year. If the beekeeper has been lucky, it culminates in the sticky process of extracting golden honey. For the last few days I have been eating honey spooned over raspberries, strawberries and peaches. … Continue reading →

Posted in Honey | Tagged | 34 Comments

Notes from a talk by David Rudland, ‘Bringing bees from winter into spring’

Posted on March 28, 2014 by Emily Scott

On Wednesday evening I went to a London Beekeepers Association (LBKA) talk by David Rudland on the topic of ‘Bringing bees from winter into spring’. David and his wife Celia (who came to the meeting too) are commercial beekeepers in Surrey … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony management, Disease prevention | Tagged , , , | 11 Comments

Middlesex Beekeepers’ Day – Terry Clare, Queen rearing for the average beekeeper

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Emily Scott

As I like to do each year, yesterday I went to the Federation of Middlesex Beekeepers’ Associations annual Bee Keepers’ Day. Each year the Middlesex associations (Ealing, Enfield, Harrow, North London, Pinner & Ruislip) take it in turn to host … Continue reading →

Posted in Colony management, Disease prevention, Queens | Tagged , , , | 19 Comments

The great Facebook oxalic acid controversy

Posted on December 7, 2013 by Emily Scott

Bee researcher Dr Karin Alton really stirred up a hornet’s nest when she posted about oxalic acid on the London Beekeepers Association Facebook group this week. For those of you unfamiliar with Karin’s work, she is a researcher at the Laboratory … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease prevention | Tagged , | 54 Comments

Into the dark of winter

Posted on November 3, 2013 by Emily Scott

The winter preparations for our hives continue. Mouseguards are on and sugar syrup feeding has finished. Tom Bickerdike has been helping Emma and me out by adding insulation to our hive roofs, sealing it in with an extra wooden layer. … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , | 29 Comments

7th Honey bee pests, diseases and poisoning revision post: Being a bee detective – investigating the death of a colony

Posted on December 23, 2012 by Emily Scott

Being a bee detective – investigating the death of a honey bee colony Continue reading →

Posted in Disease prevention, Exams | Tagged , , | 18 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

National Bee Unit Varroa Workshop – Part 3 – Honeybee viruses

Posted on May 17, 2012 by Emily Scott

Part three in this series of posts about the varroa workshops given by National Bee Unit inspectors at a special training day last Sunday. After lunch, sitting outside in the sunshine of the gorgeous Roots & Shoots garden, we went back inside … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease prevention | Tagged , | 8 Comments

National Bee Unit Varroa Workshop – Part 1 – “Know your enemy”

Posted on May 15, 2012 by Emily Scott

On Sunday Emma and I went to a ‘Varroa Workshop’ themed day held by the London Beekeepers Association, in conjunction with inspectors from the National Bee Unit. The Unit’s inspectors spend their working lives giving beekeeping training, checking for disease … Continue reading →

Posted in Disease prevention, Uncategorized | Tagged , | 12 Comments