The Apiarist

https://theapiarist.org/blog

34 posts

Life 29% · Nature 21% · Crafts 15% · Culture 9% · Science 9% · Tech 6% · 3 more 11%

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  1. Swarm-ready?

    A pick'n'mix collection of swarm-related information this week. The planning and equipment needed for swarm control, and hiving bivouacked swarms. Some preliminary results on absconding swarms and re-hiving distances, and another over-confident prediction of when swarming will start.

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  2. On the cusp …

    Early hive inspections — and why you shouldn't — some thoughts on variable spring weather and progress in predicting swarming, and how the accuracy of the waggle dance varies depending on who is watching.

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  3. Bigger queens, better queens … and easier queens

    Colonies are highly selective when choosing larvae to rear queen. Standard (grafting-based) queen rearing methods are not. In this post I briefly discuss the science of larval selection, and then present two easy practical methods that take advantage of our current understanding of the process.

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  4. Winter losses 25–26

    Do wet winters kill bees? Winter losses in '25/'26 appear to be unusually high. Inevitably, the miserable winter rain is blamed. However, I suspect the problem may be due to the earlier drought, a shortage of pollen, and the timing of winter bee production.

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