Central Beekeepers Alliance

“Chemical Warfare” Not Working for Many Canadian Beekeepers

For the third straight year, beekeepers in Alberta, Canada’s largest honey-producing province, are struggling to bounce back from unexpectedly high winterkill. And the story is much the same all over Canada. Traditional chemical controls for Varroa are failing to keep the pest below economic thresholds, as the mites build up resistance, and the weakened colonies [...]

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Conditions and Instructions for Apivar Use in Bee Hives

As announced in “PMRA Approves Emergency Use of Apivar in Canada,” the Pest Management Regulatory Agency has granted the emergency registration of Apivar® for the control of the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor, in honey bee hives in Canada. Apivar® (active ingredient: 3.33% amitraz) is a sustained-release plastic strip designed for use in honey bee hives. [...]

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Introduction to Sustainable Beekeeping

Here’s an interesting e-book from UK beekeeper Robin Morris, for those beekeepers looking into top bar hives and other approaches to Sustainable Beekeeping.

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PMRA Approves Emergency Use of Apivar in Canada

Health Canada’s Pest Management Regulatory Agency has granted Apivar® an emergency registration for control of the varroa mite in honey bee hives from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 for every Canadian province except Newfoundland. Apivar is a sustained-released product in the form of plastic strips impregnated with the active ingredient Amitraz. The use [...]

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Field Day Beekeeping Photographs: Spring Inspection

Central Beekeepers Alliance held a beekeeping field day for new beekeepers on Sunday, 3 May 2009. We unwrapped the hives and opened them up for inspection, for the first time since they were put away last fall. Fortunately (?) there were a couple of deadouts too — a useful learning opportunity as we carried out [...]

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