Colony Dispatch
Dispatch articles, a benefit of Colony Membership, are a beyond-the-basics look at important beekeeping topics.
From the experiences of seasoned beekeepers, Dispatch builds your knowledge over time, to help you to help your bees.
The challenge of hot days in the hive
We humans generally love summer! But what about our bees? How do they cope with increasing temperatures, especially within the confines of a hive?
The Diversity of Pests
All beekeepers have a need to deal with pests at some point. Generally, mites come to mind when beekeepers think of pests. But while mites are at the top of the list, there are a host of other pests with which we beekeepers must contend. In general, pests can be defined, simplistically, as “something that
Second year beekeeper and waiting for sunny days!
Year two is when a beekeeper gets a taste of real beekeeping. If last year was your first season it’s likely you have yet to experience beekeeping in the spring to the full. More happens in the bee yard in the spring of the year than at any other time.
Learning from the sadness of the deadout inspection
We are at a time of year when we find colonies that didn’t make it through the winter and we wonder what happened to bring about their demise. Though it is most certainly a sad discovery for the beekeeper, inspecting a so-called deadout can be a very educational process.
The Use of Drone Frames To Combat Varroa
Let’s face it – we humans generally love summer! Gone are the chilly days of winter and spring and, instead, we look forward to balmy weather, cold drinks and lazy days.
The wonder of pheromones
One of the most profound examples of collaborative groups in nature is the honey bee. Colonies function as a highly intricate and intelligent group, but like all groups, they must communicate in order to really function as a group.