Beekeeping Surveys

I just received the Brushy Mountain E-newsletter for April and in it were links (see below) to two surveys on Winter Loss and Past Year Management created by the Bee Informed Partnership. I think it would be well worth your time to fill these out.

Dear Beekeeper:
We need your help. Please take 20 minutes out of your busy day to complete these two surveys. Both surveys are only open from 1 April through 18 April 2011.

1. Winter Loss Survey This should take less than 5 minutes.
2. Past Year Management Survey This should take less than 15 minutes.

Pollen?

It's the 30th day of March in Winona MN. The temperature was about 45 degrees F in the beeyard. The sun was on the one surviving hive (Bee Glad...) and a number of bees looked to be bringing in pollen. Except for the crocuses, I have not seen any other flowering plants in the neighborhood. I still would like to think the bees are bringing in healthy food.

Article: What is Education For?

An important article from In Context.

I've always wondered why I felt uncomfortable teaching. Maybe the answer lies partially in this article.

Video: How to Make a Traditional Japanese Beehive

Here is a Youtube video that explains how to build a traditional Japanese beehive. Enjoy!

Article: Are We Hurting Bees Again?

"Blue Orchard Mason Bees may be the wonder bug of the moment for gardeners, but have we put them on a path that ends with us wondering, 'What happened?'"...

An article from the Surrey Now website.

Opening Up Bee Glad...

I went out and opened up Bee Glad... (a langstroth hive) very quickly to look at the state of the hive. The bees were in the top box (out of three) and in need of some food. I left a pollen pattie for them and shut up the hive without incident. I did bring a "hobo bee"for the cats to play with however.

Bring Out Your Dead-- Part I

Today I began cleaning out the dead hives in Beelandia. This morning I scraped, cleaned and examined the langstroth, Worker Bees... . I was surprised with how few dead bees were left in the hive. It is quite possible that the queen died sometime late in the fall. I took out a number of full frames of capped honey which I use when I start new packages next month. In all, I am a bit stumped about what actually happened to this hive at this point. I will reserve judgments after I examine the rest of the dead hives.

Another Visit to Bee Glad...

I went out today and checked on Bee Glad..., the one hive that has survived the winter so far. The hive was alive and active, even on this cloudy, upper 30s day. I might open her up tomorrow and quickly leave a pollen patty. Hopefully, I can also bring in some boxes from the dead-outs.

Article: Beekeeper uses ‘tough love’

Here's a story about a beekeeper from Michigan who takes a "social darwinist" approach to beekeeping.