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What's new?

Stuff changes, and here's a list of what and when.
A view of the Cheviot hills overlaid with the text What's new?

31st October

Idle thoughts and busy foragers
The tedium of jarring and labelling honey gives me time to think about other things. I ponder how to safely store and carry lots of heavy jars, or label them informatively for customers, or where the bees foraged to collect all that nectar in the first place.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

28th October

Does TempQueen work?
What is the opposite of “Does what it says on the tin”? Recent evidence suggests that artificial queen mandibular pheromone does not suppress queen cell formation.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New post for sponsors on artificial queen mandibular pheromone … plus an experimental social media links bar enabling readers to share posts more easily.

24th October

Autumn chores
The beekeeping season might be over, but the beekeeping chores never stop. Some are best done in the cooler temperatures of autumn — rationalising frames, defeating wax moths and preparing soft set honey — before the onset of winter.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New post for subscribers

23rd October

Ghost, the software on which this site runs, now sends one-time codes as a new secure way to sign-in, as well as the familiar 'magic link' emails. Readers who use mobile phones might find this a little easier.

17th October

Norroa™️ : a silver bullet or costly non-essential?
Vadescana (marketed as Norroa™️) is a radically different new mite treatment. How does it work? How well does it work? Is it the silver bullet that ‘solves’ the problem of Varroa, or is it misnamed and too difficult to use effectively? Is it even necessary?
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New post for sponsors … is this the Varroa solution we've all been waiting for?

10th October

Temperatures high and l’eau
Water is essential for colony survival, particularly when temperatures are high. How much water does a colony need, which bees collect it, and where do they collect it from? As the climate changes, how can you ensure your bees have access to enough water?
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

Water foragers and an execrable pun in the title

3rd October

Mists and mellow fruitfulness
Autumn is here. Time for some final pre-winter hive management, comparisons of baker’s and beekeeper’s fondant, the impact of ‘local’ on beekeeping, unusual sightings in the apiary and heather honey extraction. Next stop … spring.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New post on a variety of autumnal subjects

26th September

Please, sir, I want some more
Repeated oxalic acid vaporisation is often recommended without discussion of the related importance of dose and application frequency. The method works … if you use enough OA, at appropriate intervals for sufficient time. Of course, that doesn’t mean you are allowed to use it.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New post for sponsors on repeat oxalic acid vaporisation — what works, and what doesn't.

23rd September

Resolved a problem encountered by some readers attempting to subscribe to The Apiarist using iPhones. 35% of readers access the site using iPhones.

19th September

Being cruel to be kind
Sugar shake or dusting is promoted as a good way to dislodge mites for counting or Varroa control. However, recent evidence suggests it reduces the survival of exposed bees, which raises some interesting ethical questions.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New post on sugar dusting for mite counting (and why it's not a good idea)

12th September

Apivar advice
Used properly, Apivar is an excellent miticide. How and why do you position and reposition the strips in the hive? How long do you treat for, and how do you detect and avoid resistance? Don’t expect the answers to be in the instructions on the packet.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

All you ever wanted to know about Apivar, but were afraid to ask

5th September

Occam’s Razor and beekeeping
Most beekeeping puzzles can be solved with some careful thought, good hive records, and a basic understanding of honey bee biology. If the solution makes lots of assumptions, it’s probably wrong.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

Beekeeping problem solving

29th August

Bittersweet memories
Enjoy the sights, sounds and smells from the last of your beekeeping this season. There’s still much to do, but it’s going to be a long time until you can work with the bees again, so make time to store away some memories for the long winter ahead.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New post for anyone 😄

24th August

A bad honey guide?
Do honeyguides punish honey hunters who do not reward them after previous successful hunts? Historical anecdote might suggest this, but recent studies indicate the explanation is a little more prosaic.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New BeeMusings post for sponsors (which should have appeared last week)

22nd August 2025

3D printing for beekeeping - part 1
Using 3D printing you can inexpensively produce items for your bees and beekeeping that are useful, and either unavailable elsewhere or costly. Here is an introduction to the technology, and a guide to some things you can make.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New post for subscribers

11th August 2025

Some minor changes to the privacy policy to reflect the new analytics integrated into the website software. No tracking, no cookies, and nothing to be concerned about.

10th August 2025

The content delivery network (bunny.net) is now re-routing all UK readers via Amsterdam or Dublin to avoid the 'signed in but unable to access anything' problems that have occurred intermittently for some users. I apologise for the 10-millisecond additional delay in page loading that this causes 😉.

8th August 2025

Preparing for winter
Winter preparations should start during late-summer colony checks. With thorough preparation, the right colonies, low levels of pathogens and ample stores, losses should be very low, giving you — and the bees — a flying start the following spring.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New post for sponsors

4th August 2025

My hosting company (MagicPages) upgraded the site software to Ghost 6. There's all sort of neat things for site owners, but the big public-facing change is the introduction of ActivityPub social media integration. WTF? This means that new posts and comments/discussion about those posts (as well as unrelated comments) can now appear on any ActivityPub-aware social media (like Mastodon, Threads etc.) if you follow @social@theapiarist.org. Bluesky users need to follow @social.theapiarist.org.ap.brid.gy as that platform isn't truly ActivityPub aware, but can be tricked into thinking it is.

2nd August 2025

The What's New page appeared … it seemed like a good idea at the time 😉.

1st August 2025

Did they not read Seeley?
Provisional observations on a free-living colony, the timing of the onset of swarming, and comments on the validity of a recent Citizen Science survey of free-living bees.
The ApiaristDavid (The Apiarist)

New post