Bees in the News - #1
Welcome to the first of the irregular Bees in the News newsletters. These will appear - at most - monthly. Each will contain a combination of links and brief comments on topics that may or may not justify a full post at some point in the future. Inevitably - reflecting my bias and experience - some of the links will be to some of the science about honey bees, though most of this has application (or will have application) in practical beekeeping.
Bees in the News is only available to paid supporters of The Apiarist.
This month there's a study of the impact of the queen excluder on colony performance and honey quality, more on the waggle dance, yet another clever approach to control deformed wing virus and a not-so-clever way to treat Varroa using rhubarb (!), more beewash, an Asian hornet update and a DIY Varroa tray for poly nucs.
Table of contents
Are queen excluders detrimental?
Do queen excluders upset the dynamics of the colony? Some critics claim they do, and the use of queen excluders is banned (excluded?) if beekeepers want to adhere to some types of certified management methods.
But how much of this is based upon actual observation as opposed to some sort of misplaced (or otherwise) bias against particular management techniques?