Recent Posts
- Where Wings End and Work Begins: A Tribute to Bee Feet
- Propolis Envelope
- Floral Fidelity
- Insulating a Beehive
- Robbing
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Piping, Tooting and Quacking: Listen to the Bee’s Music!
Charles Butler (1571–1647) has been called the Father of English Beekeeping. [1] Among his many discoveries was that the colony was governed by a queen bee, the benefits of bees for fruit production and swarm catching. Another startling discovery was the “music” sang by bees. These were tones emitted from within the hive by bees. In 1623…
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Walk-Away Splits
Due to time limitations, it may be advantageous for a beekeeper to use the ‘walk-away’ split method as a swarm prevention method and/or for starting a new hive. I have found this method to be easy and mostly carefree. After describing the method and process to a friend, I began to wonder how I could…
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Honey Bee Memory
For their colony to survive, honey bees (Apis mellifera) must forage. [2] Successful foragers must learn and remember information about the food resource, that is, the color and shape of the flower, the amount of resource available at the site, the resource’s location, and how to navigate to the resource with respect to the hive’s…
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Preparing For Spring!
No matter the month, Oklahoma weather can be wacky! For example, as I write this post, it is the first of March and winter is slowly releasing its grip, making way for warmer temperatures. But, Spring has not yet “sprung”! As a reminder: last week we saw high temperatures in the mid-80s then a cold…
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Pollen and Nectar Sources in Oklahoma
I see foragers returning to the hive with their corbicula (pollen basket) full of pollen. Especially at the end of winter I am curious what is in bloom that could be providing pollen. Perhaps these tables will help. Major Nectar (N) and Pollen (P) Plant Sources of Oklahoma Plant Name Dates of Bloom Alfalfa (N)…
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Beehive Sensors – Technology Overview, part 1
In a previous article, I evaluated the concept of a “smart hive” and the benefits we, as beekeepers, could possibly gain by using the technology. In this article I provide an overview of my initial implementation of this concept. There are several products currently being marketed that provide off-the-shelf technology for a connected beehive. (This…
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An Apiaries Archive: The Importance of Keeping Records
After reading a blog article from Bee Informed Partnership titled “Committing to Keeping Better Records”, I was reminded of the importance for keeping a record of activities in my apiary. The author reminds us that record keeping is an essential part of beekeeping as it allows us to more accurately track our beehives and colonies.…
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Beehive Sensors: An Overview of Current “Smart Hive” Technology
For years I have been curious about how sensors placed in beehives could provide a beekeeper with more information about how their colonies live and behave to both internal and external factors. Think: genius hive! [1] In general, sensors can collect information, communicate information or can both collect and share information. The Internet of Things…
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Beekeeping Calendar
A beekeeping calendar provides the beekeeper with a planning and information tool: activities to consider in an effort to maintain a thriving apiary and when to watch for pests and diseases plus blooming plants and trees. Those of us lucky enough to live in Oklahoma understand our weather is another factor that must be considered:…
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Winterizing Your Beehive
Preparation for winter (“overwintering“) and winter management is critical to the survival of honey bee colonies. As a beekeeper, your apiary management strategy should be to help bees stay healthy, lessen the burden of winter feeding and reduce winter losses. The best-managed hives are ready for winter well ahead of the first frost in fall.…
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Integrated Pest Management
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an “effective and environmentally sensitive approach to pest management that relies on a combination of common-sense practices. IPM programs use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of pests and their interaction with the environment. This information, in combination with available pest control methods, is used to manage pest damage…
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Waggle Dance
Dr. Karl von Frisch, a zoologist, studied communication among bees. His work significantly increased the knowledge of the chemical and visual sensors of insects. He successfully deciphered the language bees, termed the “waggle dance”, used to convey information to hive mates about important and abundant resources for their colony. These resources could be nectar, pollen, water or propolis. For this and…