Maine beekeepers are thinking about their bees and parasitic mite controls, spurred by the arrival of this year's beekeeping supply catalogs, coupled with the recent snow melt after January's rain and wind event. Already, there are reports of hive mortality and requests for information and post mortem inspections. So far, most of the inspections reveal mortality due to Varroa and several cases … [Read more...]
With all the terms and jargon that go with beekeeping, knowing the underlying meaning of words may help you remember their uses. Beware of the lazy verbal trap of calling every box a super. According to the dictionary, a definition of “super” is: A prefix from Latin, with the basic meaning “above, beyond.” Words formed with super- have the following general senses: “to place or be placed above … [Read more...]
Those of you who have been members of the Maine State Beekeepers Association for a few years probably remember the grant project I conducted with Larry Peiffer comparing Northern-raised nucs, commercially raised packages, and commercially raised packages that we re-queened with northern queens. For those of you who haven’t heard of the project, we compared 54 colonies over the 2009 & 2010 … [Read more...]
This document is intended as a reference and standard for honeybee management in Maine, with particular emphasis on urban/suburban … [Read More...]
We extend a welcome to anyone so interested - you don't even have to be an active beekeeper. The organization publishes an informative newsletter, sets up … [Read More...]