ALTERNATIVE BEEKEEPING EQUIPEMENT
BEEKEEPING 101. GRIPES and ISSUES.
BEEKEEPING LINKS for nucs and hardware
COMBINING TWO LANGSTROTH hives horizontally.
EVOLUTION, PLANTS AND POLLINATORS.
CARNIOLAN BEES vs. CAUCASIAN BEES
DO MALE BEES KNOW THEY DIE AFTER MATING?
ENGINEERING OUR WAY TO DEAL WITH MITES???
FRIVOLOUS BANTER ABOUT BEES and Questions
MOTHER EARTH NEWS ARTICLE about loosing bees.
Pollen or Nectar as Semen? Give me a break.
NORTHWEST PLANTS FOR POLLINATORS
SAINFOIN: A new legume for farmers and apiarists.\
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FUN FACTS: from http://www.tarboovalleywoodenware.com/faqs.html
How fast can bees fly?
Bees can fly between six and nine miles per hour.
How far do bees fly in a life time?
Worker bees may fly up to 500 miles during their foraging existence which may last on average between 5 and 30 days.
What is the radius bees will fly from their home site in order to forage?
Bees will only fly as far as they need to, but may fly as far as 3 miles from home.
What percentage of foraging bees collect nectar?
Around 50 to 80 percent.
How many trips will a single bee make a day to forage for nectar?
As many as 30 trips for a single bee have been recorded.
How much nectar can a bee collect during a single trip?
A full load of nectar may weigh about 85% of the body weight of a bee.
What percentage of foraging bees collect pollen?
Around 15 to 30 percent
How many trips will a single bee make a day to forage pollen?
As many as 50 trips for a single bee have been recorded
How much pollen can a bee collect during a single trip?
Rarely more than 15 mg.
As one person commented mentioned Dr. Seeley has many wonderful insights into beekeeping. Joining a local garden club is probably the best investment one can make. Our NOPBA library has many of his books.
Honeybee Democracy Author: Thomas D. Seeley
examines how bees make decisions on where to found a new hive
For myself, I learned beekeeping from Harry and Ormand Aebi back in Santa Cruz.
The Art and Adventure of Beekeeping Authors: Ormond & Harry Aebi
Perhaps somewhat outated but the Aebi’s share their lifetime of experience to offer amazing insight into the inner life of the hive, the language of the bees, gathering and gentling wild swarms, as well as methods of preparing and maintaining healthy hives.
Classics and great help books also include:
The Beekeeper’s Handbook, 2011 Diana Sammataro, Alphonse Avitabile
The Hive and the Honey Bee Revisited
An Annotated Update of Langstroth’s Classic
Keeping Bees with a Smile Author: Fedor Lazutin
A Vision and Practice of Natural Apiculture
One of Europe’s most successful natural beekeepers …he provides instruction in making bee-friendly, well-insulated horizontal hives.
There are also many books on the historical nature of beekeeping. One of the best is:
Bees in America
How the Honey Bee Shaped a Nation Author: Tammy Horn
Bees in America is an enlightened cultural history of bees and beekeeping in the United States. A fascinating history from the colonial period, to the present,