Articles

With winter comes the question about feeding. To get a colony through the winter and early spring if the beekeeper has taken off most of the honey surplus, the bees will need feeding at some stage.The natural foods of bees are nectar and pollen. Nectar is the primary source for carbohydrates, and pollen for protein, fats and minerals. Most of us know that the bees turn the nectar they collect into honey, which can be stored for indefinite peri… Read more

Varroa ManagementI had the pleasure of attending the American Beekeepers’ Federation conference this January 2015, and one of the sessions was on varroa management.Usually when we think of dealing with varroa, we immediately think of ‘strips’ of something. Well there is much more that can be done, and perhaps should be done before we hit the problem with ‘strips’. Understanding the life cycle of the varroa mite is critical in managing the paras… Read more

The Ceracell EmlockThe Ceracell Emlock, made in NZ with our own stamping dies, is the ultimate hive strapping system.If you have moved hives before, you know that the bees are more aggressive at night and you don’t want to take any chances that the hive boxes might slip, leaving a gap for those angry girls to get out. Having used ratchet straps before, I know they are not good enough and fiddly to use. The cloth strapping gets tangles, the ra… Read more

Queen Rearing – Using a Cloake Board © Ceracell Beekeeping Supplies (NZ) LtdIntroductionIn their natural state, bees will rear new queens basically in three situations: 1. In preparation for swarming where the incumbent queen will leave the hive taking a proportion of the existing bees with her and leaving the rest to a new queen. 2. In an emergency where the queen has suddenly disappeared, died or been killed.3. In a supersedure where the que… Read more

What a great story! I bought this book because I keep bees and the way Manuka honey has blossomed from a second-class honey to the international medical wonder it is, has fascinated me. I wasn’t disappointed. It is told much like a mystery-drama in such an easy to read down-to-earth style that I found I was drawn to read and read on. Not only is it a story about Manuka honey but also a story about the history of bees and humans from antiquit… Read more

Due to the loss of a hive in March, I was down to one hive, and that one headed by a swarm queen at least two years old. I was planning to requeen and do a split as well, so I would be back to two hives. But procrastination left the call to the queen suppliers a bit late, and there weren’t any queens readily available.I did notice that the hive (Hive 1) wintered very well, and in late August was showing serious signs of wanting to swarm. But w… Read more