by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program Drones in early spring While only up to 14% of workers found in a colony originate from other colonies, up to 89% of drones in a colony drift. Drones have been shown to carry mites with them on mating flights and … Read more
by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program Saving Monarch butterflies The western monarch population, the individuals we see each year in Oregon, has declined more than 95% since the 1980s. This butterfly population doesn’t fly to Mexico each fall but instead only a couple of hundred thousand head … Read more
by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program Bee the change We are aware that bees need flowers. Sometimes the discussion focuses on what bee-what flower. Studies are certainly mixed on how introduced species or populations (think Africanized honey bees for example) might be affecting the native population (in … Read more
by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program Apimondia halts honey awards over ‘huge fraud’ in global supply chain Apimondia, the biennial international beekeeping congress says it not judge nor award a prize for honey next year, the first time it has not done so. Instead Apimondia, the International … Read more
by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program Best Bees Are you looking for “talking points” about Bees? For a presentation perhaps or to entertain friends and family? Good solid information about bees. Bruce Rutter and Elsa Scott of Best Bees have gathered 155 Amazing Facts about Bees and Beekeeping, organized … Read more
by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program Guidebook Supports Pollinator-Friendly Utility-Scale Solar Projects The Honey Bee Health Coalition has released a new guidebook, Guidelines for Developing Pollinator-Friendly Utility-Scale Solar Projects. This comprehensive guide is designed to help solar developers and project stakeholders integrate pollinator health and habitat benefits into … Read more
by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program Fall in the apiary Most beekeepers know that being in nature is “good for you”. Not only for the eyes but also for the smells and for the sounds. We can “feast “ our eyes on our bee hives with foragers … Read more
by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program News from WSU Steve Sheppard has retired: Dr. Steve Sheppard is no stranger to Oregon beekeepers. He regularly attends the OSBA annual meeting as speaker on the program and usually helps get up to open wallets in the auction. A 1986 … Read more
by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program Asian bees slap away invading ants Scientists in Japan have demonstrated that guards of Asian honey bees (Apis cerana) can use their wings to knock ants away from their colony entrance. Smaller bodied ants are more easily knocked away than the … Read more
by Dewey M. Caron, Communications and Content Specialist for the Oregon Master Beekeeper Program We knew it would happen…. The Ectoparasitic mite Tropilaelaps mercedesae, a potential devastating pest of Apis mellifera, has been confirmed outside of Asia. An established population has been documented in the Krasnodar region of Russia by researchers in a far eastern … Read more