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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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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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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…