Rose Hives Now Available 3/3/09
Rose Hive OSB (one Size Box)
A simple design made from Russian Redwood and exterior quality plywood. Use the box (190mm) deep) as a substitute for both brood bodies and supers. For more information go to www.rosebeehives.com.
The boxes, frames and foundation are available to order from our National Hive page.
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Is your manuka honey really worth the money? 5/2/09
By Jerome Burne
Manuka honey can cost anything from £5 to £35 a pot
Over the past few years, manuka honey from New Zealand has earned a reputation as a bit of a wonder treatment.
Research has shown that the honey - produced by bees who feed off the manuka bush - has powerful antibiotic properties and can help combat MRSA, fight infections, reduce wound inflammation and help with skin conditions such as acne and eczema.
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Funds call to save vanishing bee colonies 5/2/09
One in three of Northern Ireland’s honey bee colonies have vanished in the last year, it has been claimed.
UUP Agriculture spokesman Tom Elliott warned that more honey bees are predicted to vanish this spring unless funding is provided to beekeepers to investigate the cause. The call follows the announcement by Defra that an extra £4.3m has been made available to safeguard and research bee health in England.
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60,000 bees found outside condo 5/2/09
LEE COUNTY: The cooler weather is stirring up some unwanted tenants in a North Fort Myers condominium tower. Those tenants - 60,000 bees!
Bee keeper Keith Councell had to use a lift to reach the fourth floor of the Parkway Condos. And behind a storm shutter, he uncovered the massive number of Italian honey bees.
After living with the swarming bees for several months, neighbors convinced the condo association to do something about it.
The bees will be kept alive and used for pollination. And the St. Nicholas Monastery will use the massive honeycomb that was found to make candles.
"This is special because it hasn't been sprayed with pesticides and many times people don't want to pay to have the bees removed and so they'll spray them - then it's not pure any longer," said Mother Andrea of St. Nicholas Monastery.
Councell says he thinks that gigantic honeycomb has been growing behind the storm shutter for more than a year.
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ADJUSTABLE FASTENERS ARE BACK 29/01/09
We are now stocking the superb Adjustable Fasteners.
Complete with fixing screws, these fasteners are fully adjustable to take the inevitable expansion and contraction that takes place in a hive. You can even fasten a brood body to a rook securely.
Order from our Apiary Hardware page.
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New Book - Natural Beekeeping, Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture 29/01/09
Natural Beekeeping. Organic Approaches to Modern Apiculture
Ross Conrad USA 246 pages Paperback
Beekeepers face unprecedented challenges, a fact that is now front page news with the spread of ‘colony collapse disorder’. Newly introduced pests like the Varroa mite have made chemical treatment of hives standard practice, but pest resistance is building, which in turn creates demand for new and even more toxic chemicals. In fact, there is evidence that chemical treatments are making matters worse.
Natural Beekeeping offers a holistic, sensible alternative to conventional chemical practices with a program of natural hive management. Ross Conrad brings together the best ‘do no harm’ strategies for honeybees healthy and productive with nontoxic methods of controlling mites, eliminating American foulbrood disease, selective breeding for naturally resistant bees, and many other tips and techniques. Detailed management techniques are covered in a thoughtful, matter of fact way.
Ross Conrad learned his craft from the late Charles Mraz, world-renowned beekeeper and founder of Champlain Valley Apiaries in Vermont. Former president of the Vermont Beekeepers Association, Conrad has written numerous articles on organic farming, natural healing, and health issues. His market-garden business, Dancing Bee Gardens, supplies local stores with fruits, vegetables, and honey.
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New tea towel, teapot cosy and egg cosies from Thornes 29/01/09
We have added three lovely kitchen must haves to our range of gifts.
A white embroidered tea towel
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Co-op bans eight pesticides after worldwide beehive collapse 29/1/09
First UK supermarket chain – and Britain's biggest farmer – to prohibit chemicals implicated in the death of over one-third of British bees.
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Statement by BBKA in response to Defra Press Release 22/1/09
The British Beekeepers' Association
National Beekeeping Centre, Stoneleigh-park, Stoneleigh, Warwickshire CV8 2LG
STATEMENT
The British Beekeepers Association is pleased to see that its sustained campaign to increase funding for bee health research has been recognised by the Government and that an extra £400,000 a year for the next five years will be found for much needed research.
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£4.3 MILLION BEE HEALTH FUNDING INCREASE ANNOUNCED 22/01/09
News Release News Release ref :10/09
Date:21 January 2009
£4.3 MILLION BEE HEALTH FUNDING INCREASE ANNOUNCED
An extra £4.3 million to safeguard and undertake more research into the health of bees was announced by Environment Secretary Hilary Benn today.
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Why are Europe's bees dying? 10/12/08
Members of the European Parliament have joined a growing chorus urging action to save the world's threatened bee populations.
As Europe business reporter Ben Shore explains, the phenomenon is far more serious than simply a rise in honey prices.
Bees seem to be vulnerable to a combination of threats
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For Beekeepers, Colony Collapse Disorder Makes November the Cruelest Month
As Signs of Disease Resurface, Bayer Agrees to Discuss Pesticide's Effect on Honey Bees
November 22, 2008 at 8:25AM by Kim Flottum
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Why bees are the most invaluable species 28/11/2008
A public debate this week saw five scientists putting their case for saving one endangered species. Alison Benjamin on why the audience were right to save the bees
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'Clean-up' bees could save endangered hives. Plan to use genetically programmed 'hygienic' breeds to combat parasites 14/11/08
guardian.co.uk,
A British scientist is hoping to reverse the critical decline of the honeybee by breeding 'cleaner bees' to protect hives from potentially devastating diseases.
Francis Ratnieks, the UK's only professor of apiculture, is undertaking pioneering research based on a breed of worker bee genetically programmed to keep hives clean. So-called 'hygienic' bees are responsible for removing dead pupae and larvae from hives, but they only exist in very small numbers.
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Fewer bees, but still enough pollination 14/11/08
An international study of the number of bees and other pollinators has found that, so far, their worldwide decline isn't limiting crop yields.
The study, in the latest edition of Current Biology, found yields of most crops have grown about 1.5 per cent each year since the 1960s, though in some places a bee shortage are now affecting crop production.
Chairman of the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council, Lindsay Bourke, says the results show professional apiarists are working hard to overcome bee diseases and pollinate essential food crops.
"Crop pollinators, they maintain their hives and keep them healthy so they can still do the main crops," he says.
"It's just that people with small gardens and things won't get their fruit trees pollinated any more, if varroa destructor gets into our country the same as it has done around the world."
ABC Rural
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New Observation Panel 14/11/08
A great design that allows you to look into the hive all year round, without upsetting your bees.
Simply replace one brood body inner board with the piece of polycarbonate and slot the wooden panel in place. Any time you want to have a look at the bees or show a beginners or enthusiast simply remove the panel.
The polycarbonate is virtually unbreakable!
Available assembled as part of a brood body, flat as part of a brood body or as a separate item to add to an existing brood body.
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New Electric Uncapping Knife 14/11/08
Special introductory offer - this new Italian electric uncapping knife. Very strong and durable with a stainless steel blade. Comes with full instructions. Only £75 including VAT.
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English honey to run out before Christmas
By Paul Eccleston 6/11/08
English honey is unlikely to feature on Christmas menus this year as supplies run out.
Israel no longer Land of Milk and Honey after 60% fall in honey harvest
English honey harvest halved after catastrophic drop in bee numbers
Bees may have foot baths to curb deadly colony collapse disorder
The catastrophic decline in honey bee numbers has continued with populations down 30 per cent on last year.
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Beekeepers protest outside Downing Street 6/11/08
By Louise Gray, Environment Correspondent
Last Updated: 4:01pm GMT 05/11/2008
Britain will suffer "agricultural disaster" unless more money is put into discovering what it killing the nation's bees, the Government has been warned.
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Bee petition
A march to Downing Street 6/11/08
Hundreds of members of the British Beekeepers Association will march to deliver a petition today (5 November) to 10 Downing Street calling for government action to increase the £200,000 annually currently spent on bee health research.
One in three of honey bee colonies were lost over the last year, which equates to a loss of two billion bees.
Tim Lovett, President of the BBKA, said: “Bees are probably one of the most economically useful creatures on earth, pollinating a third of all we eat. They provide more than 50% of pollination of wild plants on which birds and mammals depend. We must identify what is killing them, and that means research. Varroa mites weaken colonies and spread viruses and are becoming resistant to treatments to protect them, making them more vulnerable to disease."
The varroa mite reached the UK in 1992 and now infests 95% of hives. Untreated colonies die in 3-4 years. Even low populations of mites reduce vitality and increases the spread of viruses.
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Nearly 2 Billion Bees Go Missing - Press Release by BBKA 6/11/08
Nearly 2 billion bees go missing costing the economy £54 million
Hundreds of beekeepers march to Downing Street on 5th November calling for government action now
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Response Regarding Pesticides - British Sugar Response 15/10/08
Response from British Sugar
"UK sugar beet is not sprayed with any neonicotinoid pesticide and none are approved for such use. Sugar beet is not a flowering plant and hence does not attract bees. Neonicotinoid pesticides are approved for use in the protective seed coating used to aid plant germination and early growth. The coating degrades naturally in the soil and beet plant, and is inactive by May when the plant becomes established. Home produced sugar is subject to a comprehensive residue testing programme and no neonicotinoid pesticides have been detected in British sugar.
Therefore home produced beet sugar poses no risk to bees.
Ignoring the fact that
1. If any pesticide was found in sugar, it would have to be taken off the market
2. Neo-nicotinoids in seed dressings are never in high enough concentrations if used appropriately, to have any impact on bees
3. Sugar is a pure product - it contains ONLY sugar (by law)"
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Apple festival hit by bee crisis 8/10/2008
Apple production is down by a quarter
Organisers of an apple festival say a 50% decline in the number of honey bees in a colony during winter has led to a reduced harvest.
It means this weekend's 18th Apple Festival at Erddig Hall, near Wrexham, is being put on with 25% less stock.
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Bayer Pesticide Chemicals Linked to Devastating Collapse of Honeybee Populations 8/10/2008
(NaturalNews) German government researchers have concluded that a bestselling Bayer pesticide is responsible for the recent massive die-off of honeybees across the country's Baden-Württemberg region. In response, the government has banned an entire family of pesticides, fueling accusations that pesticides may be responsible for the current worldwide epidemic of honeybee die-offs.
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Soil Association urges ban on pesticides to halt bee deaths 8/10/2008
The Soil Association has urged the government to ban pesticides linked to honeybee deaths around the world.
The chemicals are widely used in UK agriculture but have been banned as a precaution in four other European countries. Last week the Italian government issued an immediate suspension after it accepted that the pesticides were implicated in killing honeybees, joining France, Germany and Slovenia.
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Insecticide ban plea to help protect bees 8/10/2008
By Chris Benfield
The Soil Association this week called for a ban on an important group of insecticides to help stop the honey bee crisis.
The organic farming organisation said Italy had joined Germany, France and Slovenia, in clamping down on the substances in the interests of bees.
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Cameroon: Bee Farmers Trained On Profitable Honey Farming 8/10/2008
The Post (Buea)
6 October 2008
Posted to the web 7 October 2008
Olive Ejang Tebug Ngoh
Some bee farmers in the Southwest Province were recently trained on how to make their venture profitable by processing both honey and its bi-products.
The two-day training took place at the Women Empowerment Centre, Kumba.The participants received fresh knowledge on honey quality, good harvest and smoking, pollen, propolis and royal jelly production, bee venom extraction and queen rearing, honey wine and mead, bee-keeping equipment, honey marketing, and access to finances.
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45 000 bees invade tot's room 8/10/08
Pieter Saunders, 27, with some of the 45 000 bees he caught in a Rustenburg baby's bedroom. (Cornel van Heerden, Beeld)
Virginia Keppler, Beeld
Rustenburg - A normally crabby baby from here lay smiling contently in her cot while about 45 000 bees flew into her bedroom and started building a hive in a corner of the room.
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Argentine beekeepers no longer in clover 8/10/2008
By Helen Popper
Beekeepers had it easy when cattle roamed freely across the flower-filled meadows of Argentina's Pampas plains. But a boom in soy farming has changed all that.
The legendry prairies have fast become one of the most efficient swathes of cropland on Earth, leaving little room for wild flowers and leading beekeepers in the world's No. 1 honey exporter to move their hives and even sow their own flowers.
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Bees, pesticides and sugar beet 6/10/08
Dear Beekeeper,
I recently circulated a warning about possible Imidacloprid contamination in sugar beet, which many beekeepers feed to their bees. Since this has caused some discussion, I thought you may like to hear some facts that I discovered while checking the original story.
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Check out our new TS Candle Moulds 6/10/08
Check out seven brand new TS Candles Moulds from Thornes.
XL Plain
Holly Leaf
Small Poinsettia
Snowflake
Rose
Small Sunflower
Pineapple.
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New Api Life Var 6/10/08
New from Thornes
Api Life Var - An 11g evaporating tablet with product suspended in vermiculite. £3.00 incl VAT.
Use as a hive cleanser, specifically for honeybees.
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New 14"x12" Frame Extension Pack 6/10/08
Brand New from Thornes.
14"x12" frame extension pack. Contains 10 frame pieces and hoffman converter clips. Used to convert normal DN4 frames to 14"x12" frames. Cost of frame parts is £9.00 including VAT.
10 sheets of premier wired foundation, cut to size is also available, costing £5.00 including VAT.
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MAF Biosecurity to revoke varroa controls 26/09/08
1:54PM Wednesday Sep 24, 2008
Movement controls associated with varroa bee mite are being revoked tomorrow.
MAF Biosecurity New Zealand (MAFBNZ) said today the infestation in North Canterbury was now beyond the point where it could be eradicated or contained in a localised programme.
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Honey substitute for antibiotics - study 26/09/08
Ottawa - Honey, used in tea or hot water for generations to soothe sore throats, could soon be substituted in Canada for antibiotics in fighting stubborn ear, nose and throat infections, according to a new study.
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Beekeeping Associations are calling on their members to send jars of honey to Prince Charles in support of his position on GMOs and other excesses of industrial farming 25/09/08
In an interview with the newspaper "Daily Telegraph" the Prince of Wales voiced sharp criticism of genetically modified crops and the
excesses of industrial agriculture.
As beekeepers, we are pleased that Prince Charles has spoken up for regional and organic farming and we share his view that genetically
modified crops represent an incalculable and unnecessary risk.
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New to the UK! - Formic Acid Pads 25/09/2008
New to the UK!
Mite-Away II - Formic Acid Pads
Ready to use
No pouring of acid
Penetrates sealed cells
95% efficacy
Controls Varroa & Acarine
10 treatments per pail
£40.00 including VAT - Collection Only
NB. Follow safety and administration
instructions exactly. Formic Acid is a hazardous chemical and can be fatal to bees and beekeepers.
Formic Acid will rapidly corrode ferrous metals. Mesh floors should be blanked off with the insert being placed on top of the mesh or removed altogether.
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SILVER SPOON BEET SUGAR .... Wiltshire BKA 23/09/08
It is reported that neonicotinoid pesticides are being widely used in the spraying of English sugar beet crops. If you plan to feed sugar
syrup to your bees this autumn then you might want to check that the sugar you are using is cane sugar and not beet sugar, at least until
such time as this latest pesticide concern has been further investigated.
[Neonicotinoids have been widely blamed for killing huge numbers of bees and may well be a significant contributory factor to CCD, if not the cause.
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German Coalition Sues Bayer Over Pesticide Honey Bee Deaths 23/09/08
FREIBURG, Germany, August 25, 2008 (ENS) - The German organization Coalition against Bayer Dangers today brought legal action against Werner Wenning, chairman of the Bayer AG Board of Management, by filing a charge against him with the public prosecutor in Freiburg.
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Neonicotinoids now suspended in four European countries 23/9/08
The Italian government banned the use of several neonicotinoid pesticides that are blamed for the deaths of millions of honeybees. The Ministero del Lavoro della Salute e delle Politiche Sociali issued an immediate suspension of the seed treatment products clothianidin, imidacloprid, fipronil and thiamethoxam used in rapeseed oil, sunflowers and sweetcorn. The Italian government will start a monitoring program to further investigate the reasons of recent bee deaths.
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Brand New Warming Cabinet with Thermostat 22/9/08
This newly developed cabinet holds 2x30lb. buckets and is controlled by an accurate capillary thermostat. Heat is provided by using light bulbs of a wattage determined by the user. Strip temperature indicator included.
Using 2x60w bulbs the maximum temperature after 4 hours with no added insulation is 54C. The cabinet will take just under 2 hours to reach 50C.
Using 2x100w bulbs the maximum temperature after 2 hours with no added insulation is 72C. The cabinet will take approx. 45 minutes to reach 50C
Only £176.25 incl VAT. Remember this is carriage paid if ordered via our website!!
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Apples and pears at risk due to dramatic decline in the honeybee, experts warn. 19/09/08
British apples and pears are under threat because of a dramatic decline in honeybee numbers, experts have warned.
The bee population in Britain has fallen by a third over the past year alone due to bad weather, insecticides and soaring numbers of parasitic mites.
As a result, the honey supply is expected to run dry within three months and stocks of fruit and vegetables pollinated by bees will also be devastated.
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Buzz-light year as bees struggle 19/09/08
The health of Scotland's honey bee colonies are in their worst state for years, according to the Scottish Beekeepers Association.
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Beekeepers survive stings of weather and sprawl
Local apiaries suffer the stings of fickle weather and suburban sprawl 19/09/08
Alf Berg uses his bare hands to reach inside a beehive at Blackburn Farm in Colts Neck. A smoking can filled with burning pine needles is his only defense — blocking pheromone communication between bees to prevent them from attacking.
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Sting in tail for apple crops? 19/09/08
The declining bee population is threatening apple production
The decline of the bee is threatening Northern Ireland's multi million pound apple industry, experts say.
The worldwide environmental and financial impact of massive losses of honey bee colonies caused by exotic diseases will be highlighted at Queen's University this week.
Bees play a vital role for agricultural economies across the world with many food industries.
The apple industry in Northern Ireland is dependent on the bee pollination.
Over 200 leading academics will attend the 3rd European Conference of Apidology at Queen's University, Belfast.
Research being presented will focus on the loss of UK honey bee colonies and the decline in bumble bees in Britain.
Dr Robert Paxton, from the School of Biological Sciences at Queen's, said: "The island of Ireland has 100 species of bee, roughly a third of which are in serious decline.
"Northern Ireland's apple industry is worth millions each year, mainly generated through exports. Without bee pollination it would be worth nothing," he said.
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What can you tell me about using honey to heal hard-to-treat wounds? How well does it work? 19/09/08
Ask Dr. H: Using honey to heal wounds
By Mitchell Hecht
Medical Columnist
Question: What can you tell me about using honey to heal hard-to-treat wounds? How well does it work?
Answer: The practice of using honey to heal wounds goes back thousands of years to the ancient Egyptians - long before bacteria were known about. Honey has long had a reputation as a folk remedy for infection, but there was little formal study of its potential until recently.
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Britain's beehives left dry due to viruses and the wettest August for years 19/09/08
Wednesday, 10 September 2008
In 26 years of beekeeping, Ged Marshall has never seen anything as bad as the 2008 honey harvest. A miserable summer that has confined his bees to their hives following a winter bedevilled by deadly viruses means that production this year will be barely a third of its usual level of around five tonnes of honey.
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