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Preparing frames for foundation
Frames with damaged foundation.Frames with damaged foundation. In the next few months beekeepers all over the country will start to inspect hives if they haven’t already. Some pests can be destructive...
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Spring Sampling in Northern California 2013
2010 Almond Bloom in California. Sampling large numbers of beekeepers takes considerable behind-the-scenes planning and work and this aspect of the project usually goes unseen and is underappreciated....
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Waggle Dance
photo credit: www.mnn.com A couple weeks ago we heard a talk on native bees and the way in which they communicate nectar source locations amongst themselves. Certain native bees leave an odor trail by...
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Unknown Brood Damage
Posted 4/17/2013 This blog was changed from the original post. The title has changed from Pesticide brood Kill to Unknown Brood Damage. This change was in response to the comments I have received both...
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Know Your Local Pollinators!
Today I am posting on behalf of one of our undergrads, Tyler Connine. He is a pre-med biochemistry major at University of Maryland with a unique awareness of the natural world. Tyler is part of our...
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Neglected Drone Brood
Drone bee next to a queen. Throughout the year several honey bee diseases can be noted in stressed or sick colonies. There are also other stress factors that cause colony conditions to deteriorate and...
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Parasitic Mite Syndrome (PMS)
Varroa mites feeding on unsealed brood. PMS or Parasitic Mite Syndrome is a condition that causes a honey bee colony to deteriorate and eventually dwindle away and die. There has not yet been a...
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Sacbrood Virus (SBV)
Sacrbood Virus (SBV) SBV or Sacbrood Virus (Morator aetatulas) often appears during spring or colony buildup and causes larval death. The pupa fails to pupate and has a “shrunken head” appearance. When...
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Chalkbrood
Drone brood with Chalkbrood. Chalkbrood (Ascosphaera apis) is typically observed during the spring but symptoms can be seen throughout the year. Chalkbrood contaminates larvae when the spores are mixed...
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European Foulbrood (EFB)
Worker cleaning her proboscis. EFB is often found when nectar flows are sporadic or there is an insufficient number of nurse bees to attend brood. How does EFB spread? European Foulbrood (Melissococcus...
View Article2013 Honey Extraction in Oroville, CA
Here is a video I put together a few months ago from a honey extraction. As you can see from the footage, I did not have the best set-up but still was able to extract with the tools available.
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Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee (Megachile rotundata)
Megachile rotundata (or the alfalfa leafcutter bee) is a species native to Eurasia that was introduced into the United States after the 1930’s because of a drop in seed production. This bee was brought...
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Know your honey bee colonies: non-destructive testing for varroa mites
Varroa mites (Varroa destructor) were accidentally introduced into the U.S. in 1987 and rapidly became a destructive pest of honeybees. Not only do varroa mites suck the blood (haemolymph) of the bees,...
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Alders Valued as Early NorCal Pollen Source
As January comes to a close and much of the country is still buried in snow, signs of spring are beginning to show here in Northern California. After receiving above-average rainfall this winter, the...
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Northern California Summer Update 2017
In northern California, after a wet winter and spring it has been a really dry and hot summer. In the spring I saw a lot more chalkbrood than normal, something that was noted nationwide by our other...
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