Influences on the Queen’s Color
DISCLAIMER: The blog below is generally created from the research listed in the “Referenced Materials” section. This is not my research. All credit is given to these studies and researchers who are helping beekeepers better understand how we can improve our management practices. Honeybee queens normally exhibit a range of colors that can vary based […]
Are your colonies demonstrating symptoms of Inbreeding, Outbreeding Depression, Diploid Drones, or VSH retention failure?
DISCLAIMER: The blog below is generally created from the research listed in the “Referenced Materials” section. This is not my research. All credit is given to these studies and researchers who are helping beekeepers better understand how we can improve our management practices. Inbreeding An apiary that is isolated from other colonies through geographical or […]
VRI Community Monthly Zoom Meeting
The Varroa Resistance Initiative (VRI) is intended to support and facilitate a growing community of like-minded beekeepers broadly organized but locally working together to monitor and track for varroa resistant traits within their colonies and local member apiaries. Next Zoom VRI Community Meeting: September 23rd (7-8pm EST) Topic: Varroa Lifecycle/What is the current research?e/What is […]
Questions Around Extracting Honey
Harvesting summer honey may sometimes raise more questions for a beekeeper than you might think. When? How? How much? What if…? Storage solutions? Isn’t there an easier way? Etc. You could also be thinking about your last extraction experiences. Undoubtedly there will be some things you’ll want to do again and some you will definitely […]
Swarms That Swarm Again
In a prior blog I mentioned that not every spring swarms has a mated older queen but may be an “after-swarm” or “cast” containing a virgin queen. This can drastically change how a colony appears and performs in the first few weeks, causing concern and making the beekeeper wonder if they have a queen at […]
Do all swarms have mated queens?
The answer is yes and no. First, we must define our term “swarm” to help us get the right answer. If we are talking about the very first “primary” swarm of the season from a colony then we can be fairly confident that this swarm has our last year’s mated queen. This swarm is often […]
Spring or Fall Honey: Which is the best and for whom (bees/humans)?
Many would say that honey makes everything better and I would agree. Not only is it a natural sweetener but it also offers several health benefits, including antioxidant properties, which help fight oxidative stress…and it can soothe coughs and sore throats. Additionally, honey has anti-inflammatory effects and may aid in wound healing. These are just […]
Moving from Treatment to Treatment-Free
DISCLAIMER: The blog below is generally created from the research and instruction provided by the UK BIBBA association. This is not my research. All credit is given to BIBBA who are helping beekeepers better understand how we can improve our Varroa management practices. What is Varroa Resistance (VR)? There have been several terms used to […]
2025-2026 Layens Colony Survey Results
Wild Hives is excited to bring to our Layens community another year of winter colony survey results. The main reason this can happen is because of those who submitted data and we want to thank everyone who participated. Our hope is that our community will find this information helpful and interesting encouraging more Layens beekeepers […]
A Decade of Varroa Resistance Findings
DISCLAIMER: The blog below is generally created from the research listed in the “Referenced Materials” section. This is not my research. All credit is given to these studies and researchers who are helping beekeepers better understand how we can improve our management practices. Over the last three decades, numerous selection programs have been initiated to […]