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Control of Varroa mites is done using a number of methods, including using treatments in the beehive. Formic acid and oxalic acid are two treatments that are popular in beekeeping circles for control of Varroa mites. They are applied using varying methods and have their individual levels of efficacy. This guide compares formic acid vs oxalic acid in their beekeeping use. It also sheds light on the Varroa mite challenge in beekeeping and its impact on honeybee colonies.

Beekeepers clip the wings of honeybee queens to prevent swarming. The effectiveness of this practice is in the balance. Research has found out that clipping may not increase queen supersedure. It also has very little impact on honey production. At the same time, clipping the queen bee’s wings has been observed to lead to supersedure. Some colonies see the queen with clipped wings as unhealthy and replace her. This article takes you through clipping honeybee wings and why it is done. It also looks at arguments both for and against the practice.

Due to her high importance in a honeybee colony, the queen bee is one that beekeepers keep a close eye on. In beehive inspections, a quick look at the queen bee is worth trying for. While various features characterize a queen bee, for faster and easy identification, marking her is recommended. This article looks at the significance of marking honeybee queens, and why it is done.

Honey bees are prolific producers of honey. They keep making honey as long as supplies are available and there is space to store the honey. Beekeeping puts this characteristic of honey bees to use. Larger hives with greater room for honey are used in modern beekeeping. It allows honey bees to make enough honey for their own uses and enough extra that is economically harvested. Various factors affect the best time you can harvest honey from a beehive. High quality honey requires you to wait until it is fully processed and capped in cells, where it is low in moisture content and has a high saturation of sugars. In this article we'll discuss how to harvest honey from Langstroth, Top Bar and Warré beehives.

Bees are an important species impacting many aspects of human life, particularly agriculture. Plant production in agriculture requires fertilization of plant gametes. This is enabled by pollination, which is largely about the transfer of pollen grains from one section of the flower to another. In the best cases of pollination, pollen from one plant is transferred to another plant of the same species. This is called cross pollination. Genetic diversity in plants of the same species is better with cross pollination than with self pollination or vegetative growth of new plants. This article discusses the importance of honey bees in agriculture, and gives you a perspective on the roles all species play in sustaining life on Earth and how they impact ecosystems.

Beekeepers benefit by harvesting honey, beeswax and other products from beehives, which they can then sell for a profit. However, there are some beekeepers that are in it solely for conservation purposes. The question sometimes pops up, is it morally wrong to take honey from bees? Have you ever asked yourself, is harvesting honey bad for bees? Well, if those questions have been on your mind, then this article will explore a few ethical issues about beekeeping.

Langstroth beehives are a great choice for both beginner and experienced beekeepers. The Langstroth beehive uses a bottom board to seal the bottom of the beehive from the elements. There are 2 types of bottom boards: screened and solid. A screened bottom boards helps with hive ventilation in warm climates. You can buy or make a Langstroth beehive and its parts. In this article, we'll discuss how to build a beehive bottom board for your Langstroth beehive.

We all have our resolutions for 2020, and one that many share is to improve their overall mental well-being. You only have one mind, and it should be as sound as possible. There are many lifestyle changes you can make to improve your mental health, be it to work out more, or to play some memory games. Another method you could try is changing your diet. What you eat can have an astounding effect on your mind. If you eat nothing but junk food, you may feel more stressed, anxious, and depressed. However, if you eat healthier foods, you may feel the opposite. This isn’t to say that these foods are magical or anything, but a healthy diet can benefit you along with other lifestyle changes. One food in particular you can try is honey.

Controlling parasites is standard part of beehive management. One such parasite of honey bees is the Varroa mite, which can causes colonies to get weak and deformities to appear in bees. Various treatments are applied by beekeepers to keep Varroa mites in check. Formic acid is one such treatment used and it can be applied in various forms. You can make your own formic acid preparations for the various methods of application. However, there are also some formic acid treatments for honey bees solutions that are sold to beekeepers. They are easy to use and can be applied by both beginner and experienced beekeepers.