Dylan's Bee Blog

Spring is just around the corner and more importantly The BBKA Spring Convention is here!

Oxalic acid is used to treat Varroa mites and can be applied to the colony in many ways. 

Thriving Hive is a new citizen science study from the centre for Agroecology, Water and Resilience at Coventry University. It's focused on air pollution and the impact that this has on honey bee health and productivity.

Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) is increasingly becoming an ever-present pest of honeybee colonies across the UK. A short life-cycle gives the mite the potential to reproduce at a rapid rate and there is constant risk of introduction of new mites to a population from bees entering a hive from a different colony. It is therefore essential for the health and productivity of a hive to monitor and manage varroa mite throughout a year.  

Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) infestations within a hive above a certain level will harm a bee colony. Smaller and weaker bees unable to work as hard with shorter lifespans, more susceptible to disease and higher levels of viruses result in lower production and higher potential for colony collapse. Varroa mite is the number one management challenge for UK beekeepers. 

Varroa infestation results in smaller and weaker bees unable to work as hard with shorter lifespans, which puts stress on a bee colony and is considered as a contributing factor towards the risk of colony collapse. 

Whether we have two colonies or two thousand colonies, we all want to be responsible beekeepers in the UK. To achieve this, one of the most important areas we must consider is how to tackle the biggest pest that the Western Honey Bee faces, the Varroa mite (Varroa destructor).

Today beekeepers use formic acid to control the population of the parasitic mite, varroa, in their hives.

This easy three step method prepares your hive to apply MAQS the correct way.