The Ohio State University Bee Lab recently featured a series of 5 well crafted pollinator-focused presentations. This series was co-sponsored by the OSU Department of Entomology and Chadwick Arboretum and Learning Gardens with support from NIFA’s IPM Pollinator Health grant and the Manitou Fund. Jamie Strange, OSU Department of EntomologyVideo: Conserving Bumble Bees Across North America Heather Holm, Books by …
Author: ACB
Guide to NC Native Bees
Here is a “honey” of a bee book that can be a guide to the identification of some of the more than 500 “other” North Carolina bee species visiting the flowers in pollination gardens or flower beds. The guide is available as a free PDF. (Paperback copies are also available for $14.) It’s published by UNC Press for NC State …
Flowering in Alamance County, NC
At noon on Sunday, November 24, 2019, bees were flying and foraging on the Climbing Aster (Ampelaster carolinianus) in the apiary. This not only included honey bees, but also Bumblebees and small native bees. Honey bees were nectaring and gathering pollen. This member of the Asteraceae plant family is a native perennial vine that produces abundant pale purple to lavender flowers beginning …
2019 NC State Fair Booth Results
Thanks are due to all club members who participated by preparing and contributing entries that garnered a 1st place winning booth. Special thanks are due to Sheyenne Michelizzi, Zivon Price, and Johnny Mills for designing and assembling the booth and for coordinating the delivery and arrangement of all contributors entries. County Display Booth EntriesPlace: 1 County Display Booth (Sheyenne Michelizzi, Zivon …
Bees wanna swarm!
It’s that time of year again! Honey bee populations are burgeoning in their hives and when that happens, a large part of the colony might separate out and take off. It’s how honey bee colonies reproduce. After leaving the hive, the worker bees, along with their queen, first find a place to hang for a while––in a tree, on a …
Bee Sting Allergy: What You Need to Know
Dr. Mark Anthony Powers, Associate Professor Emeritus of Medicine and NC Journeyman Beekeeper, discusses both how to evaluate the seriousness of a bee sting and how to ascertain the most suitable treatment. This presentation is based on his December 2018 American Bee Journal article (Vol. 158, No.12 pp. 1327-1331). Bee Sting Allergy: What You Need to Know
Protecting Beehives During Hurricanes & Spray for Mosquito
Dr. David Tarpy, NCSU Professor and Extension Specialist, has provided this article Protective Measures of Beehives During Hurricanes and makes the following recommendations: Strap down lid and hive components if they’re not propolized. Reduce hive wind profile by removing unnecessary boxes (feeders, for example). Hives should be at ground level or on sturdy stands. Be sure solid bottom boards are …
Healthy Colony Checklist (HCC)
The Bayer Bee Care Healthy Colony Checklist suggests the following approach during your inspection: Use a buddy system. Know how to assess the six conditions of colony health. Take concise notes. Record any general notes and observations of each hive. Visit the Healthy Colony Checklist webpage for more in-depth information, including images, video, and a downloadable inspection checklist.
Pesticide Toxicity to Bees “Traffic Light” List
View the NC Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services’ Pesticide Toxicity to Bees “Traffic Light” list (PDF). The pesticides listed are arranged by Highly Toxic (red), Moderately Toxic (yellow), and Relatively Nontoxic (green). Specific pesticide uses are categorized as Microbiocide, Miticide, Insecticide, Fungicide, Herbicide, Growth Regulator, or Repellent.
Instructional Beekeeping Videos
The Honey Bee Research Center at The University of Guelph located in Ontario, Canada produced 32 How-To Videos during 2016. They are excellent. ENJOY! The Honey Bee Research Center maintains populations of a hybrid strain of honey bees known as Buckfast bees. This is a man-made bee race and is a cross of many strains of bees, developed by Karl Kehrle, …