(Honey bee) Waggle dance followers expect landscape features as well as distance/vector information. I wonder if it's the optic flow rate/regularity that they 'match' to ensure the distance travelled is correct? More amazing insights into the language of bees […]

[New post for sponsors] Repeated oxalic acid vaporisation. How do dose, frequency and duration determine whether the treatment works? And why current approved methods — if they exist — do not work. theapiarist.org/repeated-oxa... #beekeeping

[New post] Sugar, sugar … as well as being an ineffective way of controlling Varroa mites, an icing sugar shake for mite counts reduces survival of the exposed bees. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind … theapiarist.org/being-cruel-... #beekeeping

[New post] Apivar advice … positioning and repositioning the strips, wax solubility, re-using comb, and the detection and avoidance of resistance. theapiarist.org/apivar-advice/ #beekeeping

[New post for sponsors] Abductive reasoning, the law of parsimony, and Occam's Razor … all useful tools to help solve beekeeping puzzles. If the solution involves lots of assumptions, it's probably wrong. theapiarist.org/occams-razor... #beekeeping

[New post] Don't rush. Take your time. The memories from these last few weeks of the beekeeping season will have to last you until early next spring. theapiarist.org/bittersweet-... Follow me on @social.theapiarist.org.ap.brid.gy to get new post announcements automagically #beekeeping

Moving hives in the gloaming last night., the apiaries full of the sounds and smells of honey being ripened. Wonderful, but a sure sign that the season is almost over. #beekeeping #honey #notenoughofeither

[New post] Here's something I made earlier 😉. 3D printing for beekeeping enables you to make things that are better (and cheaper) than can be bought. This is an introduction to the technology, and example of some things you can make. theapiarist.org/3d-printing-... #beekeeping #3Dprinting #3Dprint

Aínda se poden ver as colmeas tradicionais (cortizos, trobos ou covos) en áreas rurais. Esta clase de colmeas fixistas foi a predominante en Galicia ata a década de 1980 #historiaagraria #apicultura #beekeeping #mel #abellas #patrimonio theconversation.com/asi-se-han-m...

New post announcements appear automagically on ActivityPub, and only here if I remember 😉. [New post] Brinkmanship and risk management theapiarist.org/brinkmanship... Why taking risks is sometimes worth it … #beekeeping

A reminder (and a nice picture of hives at the heather) that new post and other announcements will be from @social.theapiarist.org.ap.brid.gy … assuming I'll forget to repost them, it might be wise to follow me there as well 😉.

A reminder that my website now 'speaks' ActivityPub and can be followed directly at @social.theapiarist.org.ap.brid.gy … I'll repost when I remember 😉. Here's some YLH news …

My @ghost.org software includes ActivityPub interaction which means I can post to Bluesky directly … but you have to follow me on the instantly unmemorable handle @social.theapiarist.org.ap.brid.gy. I'll repost some things, but please follow me there directly 😄👍. Thank you

[New post for sponsors] Winter preparations should start during late-summer colony checks. With thorough preparation, the right colonies, low levels of pathogens and ample stores, losses should be very low, giving the bees a flying start the following spring. theapiarist.org/preparing-fo...

[New post] Provisional observations on a free-living colony, the timing of the onset of swarming, and comments on a recent Citizen Science survey of free-living bees. theapiarist.org/did-they-not... #beekeeping #freelivingbees

[New post for sponsors] The queen does not walk randomly around the brood comb. How might this explain why shook swarms (and recently hived swarms) do so well? theapiarist.org/walk-this-way/ #beekeeping

[New post] Wasps shouldn't be a problem for strong hives, but can quickly overrun weak or unbalanced colonies. How to prevent wasps from becoming an issue, stop them accessing your hives, trap them, and find, and destroy, their nests. theapiarist.org/waspageddon/ #waspkeeping #beekeeping

[New post for sponsors] The shook swarm is an efficient method to transfer a colony to fresh comb and simultaneously minimise the Varroa mite levels. However, there are some important considerations that must be taken into account to ensure success. theapiarist.org/how-to-the-s... #beekeeping

Interesting recommendations … mandatory hive registration, revised crop-specific hive density guidelines and improved understanding of negative impacts. Also, noteworthy that they see an impact at 0.25 hives/ha = 25/km2, lower than some pollination guidelines, but prob higher than hobbyist beeks

[New post] Finding and clearing a new apiary, and preparing the colonies to populate it, together with an early 20th Century explorer, a surprised mouse, a bonus swarm, and — 'the horror, the horror!' — predicting when laying workers appear. theapiarist.org/my-new-old-a... #beekeeping

[New post] Counting mites is a thankless task, but you sometimes have to do it. New AI software can make the task easier, faster and more accurate (choose any three). theapiarist.org/ai-and-beeke... #beekeeping

[New post for sponsors] 3D printed nucleus entrances, labelling aids and racks for caged queens. What have these to do with the historical giants of beekeeping, or the introduction of Varroa? theapiarist.org/beekeeping-g... #beekeeping

At what point does a labelling machine help restore your sanity? 10, 100, 200 jars? More? Asking for a friend 😉

[New post] Queen marking makes the queen easier to find, simplifies colony management and involves 'transferable skills' that will benefit other aspects of your beekeeping. Don't be apprehensive, give it a go … you won't regret it. theapiarist.org/how-to-queen...

[New post] Beekeeping myth #187 … aggressive colonies make the most honey. Stings should be the exception, not the rule, when inspecting colonies. How to manage colonies to minimise aggression, and make inspections enjoyable, not a battle for survival. theapiarist.org/hives-of-hor... #beekeeping

[New post for sponsors] The curse of laying workers and why they're rarely seen in queenright colonies, the survival of eggs after grafting and the (ongoing) attempts to produce bigger, better queens. Biology and beekeeping, what's not to like? theapiarist.org/worker-polic... #beekeeping

[New post] And then there were three … queens in a hive, swarms and more queens. Some strange supersedure events with a possible explanation, and grafted larvae, pluripotency and the eventual size of the queen. Something for everyone, except Genesis fans. theapiarist.org/and-then-the... #beekeeping

[New post] Apiaries provide the stage for the little dramas of beekeeping. Sometimes tragedy, sometimes comedy, but always memorable. What features are needed, and what should be avoided, in a good apiary? theapiarist.org/apiaries/ #beekeeping

[New post for sponsors] Preliminary results of queen rearing using 3D printed cell cups and some observations on scout bee dance accuracy and swarming. It's been a busy beekeeping week 😄 theapiarist.org/swarms-and-q... #beekeeping

[New post] Miticides are not inexpensive, until you compare them to the cost of replacement bees and lost honey production. Not treating is both false economy and tempting fate but, with coordination and advance planning, savings can be made. theapiarist.org/false-economy/ #beekeeping

[New post for sponsors] Brood breaks created by queen caging allow miticides treatment of broodless colonies. Could high mite/virus levels mid-season help select for resistance or tolerance mechanisms, without detrimental effects on colonies? Is there a better way? theapiarist.org/innovative-m...

[New post] In the apiary, every day is Judgement Day. Good judgement involves ample information, some insightful interpretation, and understanding. Bad judgement involves a lack of information, guesswork, wishful thinking and sentimentality. theapiarist.org/judgement-day/ #beekeeping

“The bee inspection service has collapsed, and there’s no clear plan or timeline to fix it. In the face of serious threats to bee health like foulbrood, this isn’t just careless it’s dangerous." www.agriland.ie/farming-news...

[New post for sponsors] How can you print attractive and distinctive honey labels easily and economically? How do you include batch details, best before dates and provenance of the honey? theapiarist.org/first-impres...

Coming to an apiary near you! A useful recent report (PDF) by ANSES, France on the global spread of Tropilaelaps, with particular relevance to threats to the European Union. Anthropogenic factors and climate change the issue. Something else to be concerned about 😞 sitesv2.anses.fr/en/system/fi...

[New post] More on swarms — capturing them, moving them and their memory — and absconding, including some Citizen Science to try to work out why they abscond. theapiarist.org/the-memory-o... #beekeeping #citizenscience

[New post] You should learn from your mistakes or — in this case — mine. What to do with your feet when mishandling queens, how to retrieve the queen from a full box of brace comb, and comments on setting up and siting bait hives. theapiarist.org/queen-fumbli...

[New post for sponsors] Not all plastic queen cups that look the same perform the same, and different plastic queen cups can profoundly affect the success of queen rearing. Do the dimensions of the cell cup influence the size of the resulting queen? theapiarist.org/the-queen-cu... #beekeeping

Very interesting … "variable constancy" 😄 enhances floral diversity … I recommend the plain language summary fesummaries.wordpress.com/2025/01/31/c... and the original paper besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

[New post] It's expensive to start beekeeping. Buy wisely. You don't need most things the suppliers sell. Price is not necessarily the best indicator of suitability. Compatibility, future-proofing and longevity are far more important. theapiarist.org/all-the-gear... #beekeeping #beginners

[New post] How do you stop swarms from absconding, and why do they abscond? Could it be 'residual' scout bee activity, and how could this be tested? theapiarist.org/absconding-s... #beekeeping #guesswork #citizenscience

[New post for sponsors] Prevention is better than cure. Why and how to monitor the mite population in mid-season. It takes minutes to do properly, providing either peace of mind, or a useful early warning of trouble (that can be avoided) ahead. theapiarist.org/midseason-mi... #beekeeping

[New post] Storms, supersedure, apiary vicinity matings and the unintended evolutionary consequences of Cape honey bee's adaptation to the windy Western Cape. And some poor jokes. buff.ly/EO1SlYf #beekeeping #socialparasite

[New post] The bees, like the beekeeper, are preparing for the season ahead. Much of this early work is done by the — now very old — overwintered workers. What are the signs of spring to look out for and how to protect these bees from starvation at this critical time. buff.ly/GEoj3ar #beeke#beekeeping

www.beeculture.com/survey-revea... L'apiculture américaine pourrait bien se trouver à la croisée des chemins. On parle des pertes les plus sévères depuis l'arrivée du varroa sur le continent.

[New post for sponsors] Frame symmetry, nest symmetry and hive asymmetry. How it is created, why it exists and how colony inspections might disrupt it (and how to avoid the disruption). https://buff.ly/4i0wuG0 #beekeeping

[New post] Beemageddon in the US? And avoiding it in the UK by the use of approved miticides at the right time (and why 30% of beekeepers apparently don't). I read the tortuous statistics, so you didn't have to 😜. https://buff.ly/3CFICgB #beekeeping

[New post] Other than preventing you lighting your smoker, how else does the wind affect your bees or beekeeping? It topples hives, makes bees fly at different altitudes, reduces foraging rates and - indirectly - causes social parasitism by Cape honey bees https://buff.ly/4gvul3S #beekeeping

Another excellent and entertaining post from Athayde Tonhasca at Scottish pollinators about the nest entrances of bees. Amazing stuff. Love the Partamona testacea nesting underground IN a termite's nest. scottishpollinators.wordpress.com/2025/02/03/b... #nativebees #socialinsects

[New post for sponsors] The vertical split is a convenient swarm control method if you're short of equipment or space. It is easy to implement, requires minimal hive manipulations and very effective. https://theapiarist.org/how-to-the-vertical-split/ #beekeeping #beginners