30 November 2019
29 November 2019
Deadline for UK drone registration approaches
Best silly comment on the BBC:
34. Posted byBigWillie
on47 minutes ago
i'm a bee keeper....do i need to register my drones?
26 November 2019
Tesco pulls honey off shelves amid purity concerns
See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-50551385
Apparently (a) Richmond Council (in South West London) acted after a tip-off and (b) tests were conducted using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.
Much as I like honey, you'd think NMR could be put to better use.
Apparently (a) Richmond Council (in South West London) acted after a tip-off and (b) tests were conducted using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques.
Much as I like honey, you'd think NMR could be put to better use.
25 November 2019
21 November 2019
ASIAN HORNET Vespa Velutina nigrithorax CONFERENCE
ASIAN HORNET Vespa Velutina nigrithorax CONFERENCE The NATIONAL BEEKEEPING CENTRE Stoneleigh Park Warwickshire CV8 2LG 10am-16.00 on Saturday 8th February 2020 This conference is free and for all Asian Hornet Team Leaders or representatives from Area Associations. Initially there will be an opportunity for two representatives from each Association area but if requested more individuals may be able to attend, it is dependent on the maximum numbers in the hall. Regional Bee Inspectors are also invited. The purpose of the conference is to learn more about Asian Hornets and the current research, examine the experience during 2019 and develop a way forward considering suggestions from those involved in incidents Nigel Semmence, Sandra Gray (NBI) and Belinda Philipson (Defra Policy) will update the conference on the current position and also answer questions during the conference. Steve Martin will be sharing his knowledge about Asian Hornets and Xesus Feas...
from British Beekeepers Association https://ift.tt/37vrxl4
via gqrds
from British Beekeepers Association https://ift.tt/37vrxl4
via gqrds
Zinc toxicity
Another fascinating post from HoneyBeeSuite: https://www.honeybeesuite.com/is-zinc-toxic-to-honey-bees/
20 November 2019
Vexillology
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| Flag of the commomwealth of bees! https://www.reddit.com/r/vexillology/comments/dy99k1/flag_of_the_commonwealth_of_bees/ |
19 November 2019
The God Beelusion
I like this reference to bees, handed out to Brownies in a list of graces:
Bees of paradise,
Do the work of Jesus Christ,
Do the work that no man can.
I presume the casual sexism of the grace refers to drones...
Bees of paradise,
Do the work of Jesus Christ,
Do the work that no man can.
I presume the casual sexism of the grace refers to drones...
16 November 2019
14 November 2019
Power lines may mess with honeybees’ behavior and ability to learn
Here's the report: https://www.sciencenews.org/article/power-lines-may-mess-with-honeybees-learning-behavior
Here's the gritty:
In the new study, bees were subjected for 17 hours — the amount of time they would spend overnight in a hive — to either 100 µT or 1,000 µT, a typical EMF level within a meter of the transmission line. The bees were then put through several behavioral and learning tests.
In one test, bees were familiarized with a floral smell. The bees were then put through five trials in which they were exposed to the smell for several seconds before experiencing an electric shock. The researchers measured how many trials it took the bees to learn to defensively extend their stingers in response to the smell instead of the stimulus.
“It’s basically Pavlov’s dogs with bees,” Shepherd says. At both EMF levels, exposed honeybees were slower than unexposed bees in learning to associate the smell with the shock. Only a third of the exposed bees learned to do it after the five trials, compared with half of the unexposed bees. Exposed bees also were more likely than unexposed bees to exhibit aggressive behavior, such as biting or attempting to sting other bees.
Hmmm... 17 hours is one helluva long night, and I don't know of any hives within one metre of a power line.
Here's the gritty:
In the new study, bees were subjected for 17 hours — the amount of time they would spend overnight in a hive — to either 100 µT or 1,000 µT, a typical EMF level within a meter of the transmission line. The bees were then put through several behavioral and learning tests.
In one test, bees were familiarized with a floral smell. The bees were then put through five trials in which they were exposed to the smell for several seconds before experiencing an electric shock. The researchers measured how many trials it took the bees to learn to defensively extend their stingers in response to the smell instead of the stimulus.
“It’s basically Pavlov’s dogs with bees,” Shepherd says. At both EMF levels, exposed honeybees were slower than unexposed bees in learning to associate the smell with the shock. Only a third of the exposed bees learned to do it after the five trials, compared with half of the unexposed bees. Exposed bees also were more likely than unexposed bees to exhibit aggressive behavior, such as biting or attempting to sting other bees.
Hmmm... 17 hours is one helluva long night, and I don't know of any hives within one metre of a power line.
08 November 2019
Biodling, againling
Can a 'bee friendly zone' help save Stockholm's pollinators?
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| https://www.thelocal.se/20170524/can-a-bee-friendly-zone-help-save-stockholms-pollinators |
05 November 2019
Biodling
In Stockholm for a few days, I discovered that the Swedish for 'beekeeping' is 'biodling.' Which is pretty much as cool as it gets.
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| Pick from https://mightyhive.com/, which has nothing to do with beekeeping. |
04 November 2019
The truly bizarre (but very friendly, I think) Cool Hive
Cool Hive https://coolhive.com/ uses lots of bee-related language (pollinate, buzz, workers etc) but features no actual beekeeping. A bit like this site, I guess.
On the other hand, Cool Hive sells trendy kitchenware, https://coolhive.com/coolkitchensupplies/, which I don't.
Ho hum. (See what I did there?)
On the other hand, Cool Hive sells trendy kitchenware, https://coolhive.com/coolkitchensupplies/, which I don't.
Ho hum. (See what I did there?)
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| https://coolhive.com/ |
03 November 2019
How much does a jar of honey cost?
Honey, Honey, Honey, It's a Rich Man's World
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| In the ABBA museum, Stockholm. I think it was about SEK100 |
02 November 2019
Scientific beekeeping
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| To learn more, you really should visit the excellent http://scientificbeekeeping.com/ |
