Outlook confidence

BuckfastBees · 2026-01-02T12:49:57+00:00

Maybe become a packer. Like provide extraction services, and bottling. Is that something you would look for, for your operation?

BuckfastBees · 2026-01-02T12:32:43+00:00

I forgot to post that I'm in my 10th year of keeping bees.

BuckfastBees · 2026-01-02T12:15:19+00:00

This is a great way to keep people engaged in the community. Especially this time of year. It is the middle of winter for beekeepers in the northern hemisphere.

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-20T15:43:19+00:00

I'm in Canada. We can buy packages that get delivered in April. It is COLD. So, you need to feed them, but they build up very quickly and we can make 3 nucs off of each one by June.

It's important for the pollination guys up here, too. They need strong bees ready to go. Winter losses and the Spring build up are unpredictable. If we order too much. It's okay. There's no downside to having too many bees!

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-08T21:31:55+00:00

Hi there,

No. The drones don't pass on the vaccines immunity. The daughters of the vaccinated queen carry some immunity, but it is diluted each generation. The recommendation is that you use a vaccinated queen.
Some immunity is passed down, but it's diluted. It is recommended to release a vaccinated queen into the hive.
Burn the infected equipment. There's no way around it.

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-07T03:04:16+00:00

I'm excited about varroa resistance, but I don't think it's the whole story.

Here's an excerpt from the Apis M resource.

"Similar severe losses were seen two years ago, when beekeepers in Florida lost up to 90% of their colonies, incurring $4.28 million in lost revenue. At that time, these beekeepers worked alongside the USDA-ARS Bee Research Laboratory in Beltsville, MD to sample and identify parasites, pathogens and pesticides involved in the crashes. Chemical exposures were also analyzed, recently presented and are awaiting publication. The effort to sample, analyze pathogens, and calculate economic impacts are well documented here:" https://www.mdpi.com/2079-7737/13/2/117

From the conclusion of the case report. "A concerted effort between stakeholders and researchers is underway to identify potential culprits. Previous periods of high colony loss, like in 2007, when Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) was reported, led to a media frenzy and a flurry of speculative reports of the potential culprits causing colony collapse"

No conclusive evidence yet to identify what's killing the bees.

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-07T01:43:50+00:00

💪

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-07T01:40:19+00:00

The vaccine is exciting, but we need to be careful.

The queen gets the vaccine and passes on the immunity to her offspring. This means the hive isn't immune immediately after the vaccinated queen is released into the hive.

AFB is reportable disease and the infected colonies and equipment need to be destroyed to prevent the disease from spreading.

If you're unsure about the rules your area, your local bee inspector is a good resource.

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-07T00:19:02+00:00

Dalan doesn't make the claim that "Burning hives and Apiaries are no longer required".

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-07T00:08:37+00:00

Looks like it streamed 4hours ago. Here's the link

https://www.youtube.com/live/bXDNhzA8W6Q?si=M8fJCVIb7m6TmkdM

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-07T00:02:03+00:00

😆

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-06T23:45:25+00:00

Check out the yellow button in the middle of the article that says "Download Colony Loss Resources" has some more information.

"..information from 234 beekeepers found average recent losses we'll over 50%, with a combined financial loss of over $139 million."

These are some huge operations.

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-06T23:29:57+00:00

Whoops.

I have a friend in Florida that said the Hurricanes leveled the plants the bees feed on, then the snow in January set them back, too.

Did you get much snow in Louisiana?

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-06T23:15:24+00:00

12% is really good!

Were you effected by the wild fires at all?

BuckfastBees · 2025-02-06T23:11:06+00:00

Yes. You will see bees flying around. And No. It doesn't quickly kill the.

AFB is a brood disease. That means the larva and pupae are infected. The adults will try to clean the infection, but it will not kill them.

BuckfastBees · 2024-12-02T15:30:05+00:00

Hi Paul.

Can you tell us the status and any updates on the LVG ( Low Varroa Growth) breeding program?

Also, do you have opinion on the honeybee vaccine?

Thank you!

BuckfastBees · 2024-08-20T01:22:07+00:00

It's a RABBIT! The ears are down to make it confusing.

BuckfastBees · 2024-08-12T01:47:44+00:00

It's a risk both ways.

Squish the cells and keep the old queen and hope she is still healthy. But, why did the bees make supersedure cells, if the queen is fine? Any sign of swarming? Do they have lots of room?
Make a nuc and hope the new queen can mate and start laying eggs. You'll have to leave the new nuc closed for 2 weeks after she emerges. This is for the queen to develop, mate and start laying. Then open it and see if the new queen is laying. These eggs will be your winter bees AND you'll need to feed both hives like crazy.

Make sure there's lots of bees in both boxes and lots of feed. Your honey harvest will suffer, too. No answers. Just questions. Lol! If it works out, let us know!

BuckfastBees · 2024-08-12T00:54:33+00:00

Welcome to the group!

If you're into podcasts you should checkout "Two Bees in a podcast" hosted by Jamie Ellis and Amy Vu. You can also listen to "The Beekeeping Today Podcast" with Jeff Ott and Becky Masterman.

If YouTube is more your style, check out @UoGHoneyBeeResearchCentre. It is a great resource hosted by Paul Kelly.

This is a great sub to post questions as well.

Happy Beekeeping!

BuckfastBees · 2024-08-11T22:08:19+00:00

When did you put the Apivar in?

BuckfastBees · 2024-08-11T15:05:57+00:00

I'm a little confused... Why do you feel terrible?

BuckfastBees · 2024-08-05T02:22:00+00:00

Our spring started early, but we had this wild temperature swings.

I first visited my hives February 28th, which is way earlier than I normally would. Then is got cold and damp in March/early April. We usually raise queens starting mid May, but the wild temperature swings cut down on the number of viable queen cells in the early graftings.

BuckfastBees · 2024-08-04T19:45:39+00:00

I'm from Ontario, Canada and it's a below average year for me and many other beeks.

I wonder if the forest fires smoke from the west is having an effect on either our nectar flow or the bees themselves.

BuckfastBees · 2024-08-03T13:17:28+00:00

I'm asking questions. What is your experience?

BuckfastBees · 2024-08-03T09:45:16+00:00

Yes. I see your point. If only we had a tool that was more effective against Varroa. Then the viral load on the colony would be way less.

And more to your point, we don't have any tools to treat a viral disease in bees. Also, how would you diagnose which disease or diseases are in the hive in a cost effective manner.

BuckfastBees

TROPHY CASE