Honey Bee Health Coalition Varroa Management

Varroa Management

Honey Bee Health Coalition Varroa Management

Honey Bee Health Coalition Unveils Videos to Help Beekeepers Combat Devastating Parasites

Videos Complement Coalition’s Tools for Varroa Management Guide, Provides Step-By-Step Demonstrations of Utilizing an Integrated Pest Management Strategy of Monitoring and Treatment

KEYSTONE, CO, Nov. 28, 2016 — The Honey Bee Health Coalition released a series of videos today to help beekeepers promote colony health and combat costly and destructive Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) infestations. The videos can be found …

Honey Bee Tracheal Mites: Gone? But not for Good

Authors: Philip A. Moore, Michael E. Wilson, John A. Skinner
Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, the University of Tennessee, Knoxville TN
Originally Published: August 4, 2015

Introduction

The honey bee tracheal mite (Acarapis woodi) was first described in 1921 by Rennie, who believed the mite was the cause of the Isle of Wight Disease, after dissecting infected honey bees (Apis mellifera) from colonies on the island off the coast of England (Henderson and Morse 1990). Between …

Integrated Crop Pollination

What is Integrated Crop Pollination?

Integrated crop pollination is the combined use of multiple pollinator species, habitat augmentation, and crop management practices to provide reliable and economical pollination of crops. Pollinator species can include managed honey bees, alternative managed bees, and many different types of wild bees. Habitat augmentation refers to adding floral and nesting resources to farms (e.g. wildflower strip, meadows, and hedgerows). Crop management practices that support pollination include modifying pest management practices to reduce risks to pollinators, …

2017 Bee Health Webinar Series: Ensuring Crop Pollination in US Specialty Crops

Webinar banner

This webinar series will provide an overview of pollination requirements and strategies to ensure pollination of different specialty crops. Farmers and gardeners rely on crop pollinators, including honey bees, alternative managed bees like the blue orchard bee, and wild bees. Pollination experts will discuss how to support these pollinators in almond, blueberry, tree fruit, pumpkin, and watermelon. Webinars will take place on selected Tuesdays at 11a.m. Pacific time, noon Mountain time, 1 p.m. Central time, 2 p.m. Eastern time.  Registration

How can honey bees produce honey from nectar that is toxic to them?

Some plants produce nectar that is poisonous to bees. It is difficult to understand how honey bees can produce honey from this toxic nectar. The effect on the bee is probably dose related at an individual as well as a colony level. The bee must consume a minimum amount of the toxin before it is affected. If the bee is visiting other non-toxic plants before returning to the colony, the toxin from the poisonous nectar may be diluted. Another factor …

How do I know whether my bees have Nosema disease?

The only way to be sure is to examine bees by microscope. A sample of bees is macerated in a small amount of water, and then a drop of the liquid is examined on a microscope slide at 400 power. Spores appear as ovals, about 3 by 5 microns. One outward indication of Nosema is brown spots (fecal material) on the outside or inside of a hive. The inner cover or top bars can be soiled with feces in a …

Can a honey bee be born without the aid of a drone?

Yes and no. A drone’s (male bee) purpose is to mate with a queen (female reproductive bee). All other colony activities are performed by worker bees (female bees). To discuss how a bee is born, we can start with when the egg is laid. Generally speaking, if the queen fertilizes this egg with sperm, it will become a worker bee, or another queen. If she does not fertilize the egg, it will become a drone (male). The care and feeding …

Which pesticide formulations are least hazardous to honey bees?

Different formulations of the same insecticide often vary considerably in their toxicity to bees. Granular insecticides generally are not hazardous to honey bees. Dust formulations (seldom used today on commercial field crops) are typically more hazardous than emulsifiable concentrates because they adhere to the bee’s body hairs and are carried back to the beehive. Wettable powder and flowable formulations essentially dry to a dust-like form which foragers can carry to the hives. Likewise, microencapsulated insecticides can be collected by foragers …

Pollination and Protecting Pollinators

Washington State Pollination Video

Pollination in agriculture and why it matters.

Pollination and Protecting Pollinators from WSU CAHNRS Video Production on Vimeo.

Honey bees are the most important pollinator in the United States and worldwide. Pollination is essential and a critically important process in producing much of the food we eat. Without pollinators, such as the honey bee, we would have few fruits, vegetables, nuts and many other types of food we depend upon. This 52-minute video gives an overview of the pollination