On January 9th the House of Lords debated the decline of honey bees. Some interesting statistics were mentioned: the number of beekeepers has doubled in the past ten years; the number of [colonies] has reduced by 75% over the past 100 years - [but this should be seen against Leslie Bailey's conclusion in 2000 that … Continue reading Lords Debate Honey Bee Decline
Bee Health
Keeping Medicine Records
Honey bees are currently defined as a food producing species and current legislation requires that you keep a record of the purchase, use and disposal of any honeybee medicines. Owners or keepers of food-producing animals intended for the food chain, must keep specific records: at the time of purchase; at the time of administration to … Continue reading Keeping Medicine Records
Treating Varroa – Apiguard
Please note that Geoff Bazin will shortly be putting in a bulk order for Apiguard. Apiguard is a recommended treatment for Varroa and needs to be administered at the end of the main flow, but before giving the winter feed. This is an ideal opportunity available only for PBKA members to obtain this Varroa treatment at a … Continue reading Treating Varroa – Apiguard
Study Explains Deformed Wing Virus and Varroa Mite Relationship
The team, led by Dr Stephen Martin from the University of Sheffield working in Hawaii, has identified how Varroa results in a lethal strain of the Deformed Wing Virus becoming dominant in the bee colony. See coverage of the report on the BBC Nature or, better, the Guardian website.
Starvation Risk – Advice from the National Bee Unit
With the on-going poor weather, there is a real risk of bee colonies starving. "Please check for stores in the colony and if in any doubt feed your bees. You should feed with either a fondant or a thin syrup [PBKA feed mix ready reckoner]. Further information on feeding bees can be found in Best … Continue reading Starvation Risk – Advice from the National Bee Unit
Pembrokeshire Beekeepers' Association 