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 …
What are some good flowering plants to put near a vegetable garden to attract bees to help with pollination?
Any flowering, pollen-producing plant will attract bees, including your vegetables. Bees also need a source of water, so the addition of a bird bath or something similar can help attract them. The only caution is that some of the flowering annuals will reseed themselves vigorously and can become “weeds” in subsequent gardens.…
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
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 …
The drone has no father but has a grandfather. How is that?
The queen and workers are female bees with a diploid set of chromosomes. The drones are male with a haploid set of chromosomes. To get a worker, the queen must add sperm to the egg. There must be a male to provide that sperm. To get a male, she does nothing but deposit the egg in a cell. No sperm in needed from a male bee. – Ed Beary…
Will honey bee swarms in my yard move into a hole in the wall of my house?
Maybe, especially if bees have occupied the wall before. Bees are attracted by the odor of the other bees. You can prevent their entry by sealing outside openings 3/8th of an inch or larger with caulking or window screen. If the bees enter your wall, they are difficult to remove.…
What crops do not require honey bee pollination?
Honey bees improve, or supplement, pollination for most plants they visit. However, honey bees are considered negligible pollinators for the following crops: soybean, peach, field beans, snap beans, tomato, corn, cotton, peanuts, pecans, canola, and alfalfa. In cases like these, the plant is either independent of insect pollination in general or dependent on other pollinators. – Keith Delaplane, University of Georgia…
How are queen bees raised and mated?
There are many methods of raising queen bees, but the central tenant of queen production is that a fertilized egg may be reared into a queen or worker depending on the food it receives as a larva. In general, a beekeeper specializing in queen production sets up special colonies (e.g., “starter” colonies) that are queenless. Young larvae are transferred, or “grafted,” from selected breeder colonies into man-made queen cell cups. The grafted larvae are placed into the starter colony where …