Small hive beetles, SHB for short, are also known by their scientific name, Aethina tumida. This potentially destructive beetle is usually only dangerous when the beehive is already in less than perfect condition.
That is to say, if your beehive is already facing other stresses, an overpopulation of beetles, or other invasive species such as moths, can mean the end of your beehive.
As a beekeeper, what you want is a healthy hive and happy bees. This means that seeing dead bees often equals some worry. New beekeepers often panic when they find dead bees littering the snow or piled up on the hive entrance. Luckily, not all deaths can be considered a bad thing.
A queen excluder is an optional piece of beekeeping equipment, separating the queen bee laying eggs from the honey supers. That’s not how a beehive is organized naturally, but it makes honey harvesting much easier.
Moving a beehive requires precision, patience and a bit of finesse. It’s not merely a case of picking up a hive and relocating it. Small holes mean bees can escape, and a tightly sealed beehive could suffocate your bees. There’s a right way to do every step, and we’re here to tell you all about it.
The transition period from summer to fall is the most common period for bees to be aggressive. What causes this kind of behavior? What makes honeybees aggressive, and how do we deal with this aggression? Knowing the answers to these can make life as a beekeeper much easier.
When protecting your beehive from an ant invasion, it’s best to be proactive rather than reactive. Pest management can include using physical deterrents to keep pests out of the beehive in the first place.
Painting your beehive(s) isn’t just aesthetically pleasing, but it can also be beneficial to your bees. A little bit of color on the exterior of the hive can help control the climate of the hive. Some distinctive decorations can reduce drift and even help bees find their hives easily.
Beekeeping is a tradition that was once present only in rural areas. Now it’s becoming more and more popular in the cities, finding the right location to store a beehive can be crucial.
It’s important to look after your bees, even after they’ve gone. Dead beehives — otherwise known as ‘dead-outs’ — can be quite a pain! Alas, bees die, especially in winter, and although bees are very good at making honey, they haven’t quite grasped the concept of body disposal. They’ve left all that fun to you.
Wax moths are a serious threat to the existence of a bee colony, much like other destructive pests such as hive beetles. As a beekeeper, it’s essential to take measures to stop wax moths. If left unattended, they’ll infest your beehives and destroy the comb. As such, it’s important to know how to treat infestations.