Bigger queens, better queens - part 0
The Apiarist Blog
by David (The Apiarist)
5d ago
This is the prequel to Bigger queens, better queens - part 1 which was all about the maternal effect in honey bees. The maternal effect, although well-known in other species, has only recently been demonstrated in honey bees. Essentially, it involves the queen preferentially laying larger eggs in queen cells than she lays in worker cells. These larger eggs develop into larger and heavier queens. Perhaps unsurprisingly - though also reassuringly - these larger queens have more ovarioles and lay more eggs than smaller queens. Finally, these larger queens appear to pass on desirable traits to th ..read more
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Hivebarrows and housekeeping
The Apiarist Blog
by David (The Apiarist)
1w ago
If you're reading this in an email newsletter on Friday evening then something went right. However, if you received no email, it's Monday afternoon, and you had to search for the site on Google to find this post, then I've clearly still got some work to do. Moving The Apiarist from Wordpress to a new publishing platform (Ghost) has been a bit of a headache, but I'm hoping that the worst is over and things will now run smoothly. If I'm right then I can start focusing on beekeeping rather than subscriber lists, broken hyperlinks or related geekery. But, I'm rarely (ever completely?) right, so ..read more
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Dummies, fat dummies and followers
The Apiarist Blog
by David (The Apiarist)
1w ago
Is there a statute of limitations on beekeeping topics for the internet? How frequently should a blogger write about swarm control or thelytokous parthenogenesis or the provenance of honey? The answer of course is as often as they want to. It's a free world. But that doesn't mean that the posts will be read ? If I wrote about swarm control every week, I'd quickly run out of new things to write, but - even more quickly - I'd run out of readers. It's an interesting topic, there are lots of ways it can be achieved (and several by which it cannot) and, at times during the beekeeping season, it's ..read more
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Dummies, fat dummies and followers
The Apiarist Blog
by David
2w ago
Synopsis: How can something so simple cost so much? Dummy boards and fat dummies. Some you can buy, but shouldn’t. Some you can’t buy at all. Both can be built very inexpensively. Introduction Is there a statute of limitations on beekeeping topics for the internet? How frequently should a blogger write about swarm control or […] The post Dummies, fat dummies and followers appeared first on The Apiarist ..read more
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Doing the splits
The Apiarist Blog
by David
3w ago
Synopsis: And then there were two. What happens when you split a colony into two? Why might ‘walk away splits’ not be the best way of increasing colony numbers? Introduction While discussing the evidence that bees move eggs last week, I posed a simple question: What do you think happens when you conduct a split, […] The post Doing the splits appeared first on The Apiarist ..read more
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Do bees move eggs?
The Apiarist Blog
by David
1M ago
Synopsis: How do eggs appear in places the queen cannot reach?  Do these eggs produce worker or drone brood? If bees can move eggs, can they move them to queen cells? Introduction There was a lot of interest in the post last week, and I’d like to thank readers who commented or contacted me directly […] The post Do bees move eggs? appeared first on The Apiarist ..read more
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Bigger queens, better queens – part 1
The Apiarist Blog
by David
1M ago
Synopsis: Recent research on the maternal effect in honey bees suggests queen rearing using worker larvae may produce undersized and underperforming queens. Introduction The majority of books and articles I’ve read on queen rearing emphasise that bigger queens are better queens. The rationale is simple. Bigger queens are better because their larger abdomens contain more […] The post Bigger queens, better queens – part 1 appeared first on The Apiarist ..read more
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Natural mite drop
The Apiarist Blog
by David
1M ago
Synopsis: By all means count the natural mite drop of a colony, but be aware of the limitations of the method and the many things that influence the count. Introduction The Varroa tray underneath an open mesh floor (OMF) provides a non-invasive insight into colony state and activity and, to a lesser extent, health. State […] The post Natural mite drop appeared first on The Apiarist ..read more
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Beekeeping backups
The Apiarist Blog
by David
1M ago
Synopsis: Should beginners get one or two colonies? The standard advice is ‘get two’, but I think three colonies by the end of year two gives better security, more opportunities to experiment, and a faster route to gaining valuable experience. I have previously commented that the beekeeping year can seem like a series of catastrophes, […] The post Beekeeping backups appeared first on The Apiarist ..read more
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Under pressure – the Speidel Hydropress
The Apiarist Blog
by David
2M ago
Synopsis: Heather honey is thixotropic and requires special treatment when extracting. Here’s my experience with the Speidel Hydropress … no more tedious crushing and straining for me! Introduction As a beekeeper, if you have lived in different areas of the country, you will be aware of the profound impact the local forage and climate have […] The post Under pressure – the Speidel Hydropress appeared first on The Apiarist ..read more
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