Central Beekeepers Alliance

Beekeeping Information


Experiments in Beekeeping

Posted by rebecca on May 9, 2008

beekeeper with frame of honey beesBeekeepers are always experimenting with new methods and new products, looking to help our honeybees prosper while keeping the workload and expense of beekeeping under control.

As a small beekeeper who was nearly wiped out last winter (2006-07), I’ve decided to make 2008 a season for full-on experimenting — exploring new methods and products that I might not otherwise have ventured to try.

You probably know that a lot of the innovative ideas in apiculture have traditionally from small beekeepers, rather than the commercial outfits. That’s because we “little guys” the ones who are able to devote more individual attention to our colonies.

But a major driving force behind new beekeeping developments, these days, is the need for pollination by crop producers. When so many farmers’ livelihoods depend heavily on honey bees for pollination, and honey bees are in short supply as they have been in recent years, keeping the bees in good health becomes the interest of both government and private sector researchers.

That means there are a lot of new ideas floating around the beekeeping world right now. Some have a good deal of research behind them. Some are still in the early stages of testing. Others have not been scientifically tested, but carry some word-of-mouth clout from beekeepers who have tried those methods. And a lot of the new ideas are pretty controversial…

At this writing, there are 3 main things I plan to try:

  1. Powdered sugar treatment to control Varroa mites;
  2. Drone trapping to control Varroa mites;
    and
  3. SuperBoost, a 10-component larval brood pheromone product that’s new on the market this year from Pherotech in British Columbia.

As the season goes along, I’ll report back regularly here on the CBA website, to share whatever information I come up with.

Mind you, there’s no way that mine will be “scientific” experiments in any sense — just a matter of one beekeeper trying these techniques on a couple of hives and observing to see what happens. I’m going to be watching the bees as closely as I can, however, and making whatever measurements are possible: changes in the number of frames of brood, for example, or in the 24-hour natural mite drop.

So if you spot anything I’ve missed, or think of new ideas, have questions or suggestions, or have your own experiments to tell us about — please do speak up in the comments!

Comments are open to all, by the way. It might take a few hours for your comment to be approved by the moderator so it will appear on the website — but all you need is a name and email address, and you can add your comments.

The most recent comments will show up in the sidebar, over there on the righthand side of the page, to make it easier for you to follow the conversation.

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Beekeeping and IPM Workshops: Guelph, Ontario

Posted by workerbeej on April 25, 2008

The Ontario Beekeepers Association is offering a series of 1-day beekeeping workshops on Introductory Queen Rearing, Introduction to Beekeeping, and Integrated Pest Management (IPM), to be held in Guelph, Ontario on three dates is May 2008.

Workshop #1: Introductory Queen Rearing
Saturday May 10, 2008
9:30 am to 4:00 pm

This queen rearing workshop consists of classroom sessions and demonstrations with hands-on lessons in the bee yard. Topics include queen biology, methods of rearing queens, preparing a cell builder colony, grafting techniques as well as care and introduction of cells and queens. Each participant will receive a copy of the Ontario Queen Rearing Manual.

Workshop #2: Introductory Beekeeping
Saturday May 24, 2008
9:30 am to 4:00 pm

This beekeeping workshop consists of classroom sessions and hands-on lessons in the bee yard. Topics include basic honey bee biology, beekeeping equipment, working in the bee colony, seasonal beekeeper responsibilities, harvesting and extracting honey and preparing bee colonies for winter. Each participant will receive a copy of the Ontario Beekeeping Manual.

Workshop #3: Beekeeping and IPM (Integrated Pest Management)
Sunday May 25, 2008
9:30 am to 4:00 pm

This intermediate beekeeping workshop consists of classroom sessions and hands-on lessons in the bee yard. Topics include pest and disease biology and identification, monitoring for pests and diseases, record keeping, treatments and integrated pest management. Each participant will receive a copy of the Ontario Beekeeping Manual.

For all workshops, lunch will be included in the cost of registration. Coffee and snacks will also be provided.

Location:
All workshops will take place at the Orchard Park Office Centre, 5420 Highway 6 North, Guelph, Ontario.

Cost:

  • OBA members: $100.00 + 5% GST for the day (total = $105.00 per person per workshop)
  • Non-members: $110.00 + 5% GST for the day (total = $115.50 per person per workshop)

Enrollment is limited to a maximum of 24 participants per workshop — first come/ first served. Contact the OBA Tech-Transfer office at (519) 836-3609 or e-mail shrewless@yahoo.com for more information, or to request a registration package.

Comment?Beekeepers Events, Beekeeping Information

The Reality of Sustainable Beekeeping: Free Workshop for Beekeepers

Posted by workerbeej on April 7, 2008

NOD Apiary Products, the Manufacturer of Mite AwayII, presents a 3-hour (no charge) workshop for beekeepers:

The Reality of Sustainable Beekeeping

Monday April 14, 2008
1:00 p.m.
Moncton Lions Community Centre
473 St. George Street, Moncton, New Brunswick

Hosted by: Country Fields Beekeeping Supplies

Please RSVP by either calling George or Ruth at 506-387-6804 or email info@countryfields.ca — or just come on out!

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History Video: Beekeeping in Transition

Posted by beekeepers on March 15, 2008

We know that beekeeping has been changing rapidly in recent years, but how much do we know about the care and management of honey bees as it was practised a century ago?

One hundred years of beekeeping in Nova Scotia, Canada. A brief history as presented at the Nova Scotia Beekeepers’ Association annual meeting, March 2000. Includes an interview with the late G.G. Smeltzer (in Part 2). This video is dedicated to his memory.

Thanks to Dick Rogers of Wildwood Labs for making available this 3-part presentation, Beekeeping in Transition, via Google Video. To view the videos, make sure your computer’s speakers are turned on, then click the small arrow at the bottom left of each video-player below:

Beekeeping History Video 1

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