Foulbrood diagnostic kits now available in the USA
Vita Bee Health Blog
by Stephen Fleming
5M ago
American beekeepers can now obtain Vita’s low-cost foulbrood diagnostic test kits – but not through the usual channels. The kits can now be obtained by groups of beekeepers, bee inspectors, vets or university researchers for investigatory or research purposes. Just email info@vita-europe.com for details. The American and European foulbrood (AFB and EFB) diagnostic kits, which work like pregnancy test kits, give results in seconds and so are very suitable for use in apiaries by beekeepers and bee inspectors. The two separate low-cost kits can give valuable early warnings of AFB and EFB and ther ..read more
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Vespa velutina has jumped the Atlantic
Vita Bee Health Blog
by Stephen Fleming
7M ago
In August, Vita Bee Health’s social media account received a photo from Savannah in Georgia, USA, asking if the insect featured might be a yellow-legged hornet (aka Asian hornet or Vespa velutina) and what to do. The insect was dead but it did indeed look like Vespa velutina, so we urged the sharp-eyed enquirer to report it immediately to the authorities. At first, some local entomologists said it wasn’t the Asian giant hornet (Vespa mandarinia) — which was correct — but showed little further interest. We urged him to keep reporting it and soon it was indeed agreed to be the insect that has b ..read more
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Vita Bee Health’s 2023 photo competition – the round dozen!
Vita Bee Health Blog
by Stephen Fleming
9M ago
Vita Bee Health is calling for entries to its 12th annual international photo competition. Winning entries appear in the sought-after limited-edition calendar, which is sent to the Vita distribution network across the world. The closing date is 31 October 2023 (all time zones considered!), and entries are now being accepted. The 2023 calendar cover The outright winner of the competition receives a cash prize of €100, and two runners up €50 each. The photographs of eleven other winners will also appear in the 2024 Vita Bee Health calendar and feature in Vita’s monthly email newsletters. All win ..read more
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Sebastian visits Taiwan
Vita Bee Health Blog
by Stephen Fleming
9M ago
Postponed for three years because the pandemic, Sebastian Owen of Vita Bee Health visits Taiwan to better understand beekeeping in the country. Here’s a short video of his trip. How many differences can you spot? Moving hives two at a time is a nice trick. The post Sebastian visits Taiwan appeared first on Vita Bee Health ..read more
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Do bees learn waggle dancing from other bees?
Vita Bee Health Blog
by Stephen Fleming
10M ago
In a new video from Inside the Hive TV and sponsored by Vita Bee Health, Humberto Cristiani discovers new research about the honeybee waggle dance. In a cunning research design, it’s been discovered that bees do in fact learn how to dance accuately from other bees. He also discusses the effects that pesticides can have. The post Do bees learn waggle dancing from other bees? appeared first on Vita Bee Health ..read more
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First DCA of the season
Vita Bee Health Blog
by Stephen Fleming
11M ago
Vita Bee Health’s blogger is back on the DCA hunt. Here’s one near Vita’s offices in Basingstoke, Hampshire, UK. Drones often get a bad rap. Varroa mites prefer their cells to breed in, they gather no honey, they use up hive resources … but, surprise surprise, without them there would be no more colonies. And, left to their own devices, free-living colonies will produce lots more drones than a managed colony, which is provided with worker foundation. Although it’s known that many colonies in this area suffered badly (and died) in the winter, there are still plenty of drones around and they ca ..read more
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What’s in a name? Honey Field and Wax Hanger
Vita Bee Health Blog
by Stephen Fleming
11M ago
Just a few miles from Vita offices is the church of the father of English beekeeping, Rev Charles Butler. This year is the 400th anniversary of the publishing of the influential and landmark second edition of The Feminine Monarchie, so we’ve been doing a little research. Rev Charles Butler’s church is in Wooton St Lawrence in Hampshire and, as in most places in England, the fields around his church have names. Many are mundane – The Four Acres, Three Acres, Church Yard Piece ­– but two have resonance – Honey Field and Wax Hanger. Could they have been named by Butler or during his time at Woott ..read more
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Foulbrood kits identify the disease and help analysis of foulbrood strains
Vita Bee Health Blog
by Stephen Fleming
1y ago
Vita Bee Health’s foulbrood diagnostic test kits are routinely used by Britain’s National Bee Unit (NBU) to give fast results in the apiary when European or American foulbrood are suspected. And their usefulness doesn’t stop there. Positive samples are then sent to the laboratories of the British government agency Fera Science Ltd where they are further analysed to see what strains of the disease are present. The results often show quite distinct geographical distribution of specific strains. From 4,706 European foulbrood (EFB) samples taken over nine years, 30 EFB strains have been identified ..read more
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What is the secret of sunflowers?
Vita Bee Health Blog
by Stephen Fleming
1y ago
Vita Bee Heath is sponsoring some Inside the Hive TV videos about honey bee health. The varroa mite is thought to be the underlying cause of so many honey bee colony deaths. Vita Bee Health’s varroa-control treatments work well when administered properly but could there be other forms of help in the environment for the bees? Here’s a video about the mystery of sunflowers and the varroa mite. Could there be a beneficial link for bees feeding off sunflowers even though the flower’s pollen is generally not thought to be the best for bees because of its relatively low protein content? The post Wh ..read more
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Those invading hornets
Vita Bee Health Blog
by Stephen Fleming
1y ago
The media and others have been having a difficult time talking about hornets and showing the correct photo ID. It’s not that surprising because they are new insects come from other lands – and picture editors seldom sit beside the reporters. Here’s a quick referesher on some of the hornets. Vespa crabro aka European hornet Native across much of Europe and introduced to North America in about 1840, Vespa crabro is Europe’s largest native hornet. It is very distinctive because of its size and flash of yellow as it passes but it’s not seen very often (in Britain). It occasionally takes a bee or t ..read more
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