Why Do You Ask About Ethics?When we relocated our business from a southern US climate to a far northern US climate, we made the decision to acquire new honey bees that are naturalized to the local region. At BM Dooney Farms, we value the...
How Do Pesticides Affect Honey Bees?There’s a lot of information out there about impacts of pesticides on honey bees, and on other pollinators that have agricultural importance (like bumble bees), in addition to information on keystone organisms with social-economical relevance like Monarch butterflies. Here, we have...
Each season, inevitably, I find a colony that has become queenless. To fix this nearly hopeless situation, you’ll need another healthy colony to pilfer resources from. This is one of the reasons why I recommend that you keep more than one bee hive. Sometimes,...
Equipment PreparationOnce you’ve decided what kind of hive you wish to use for keeping bees, you now need to paint it. I recommend painting each hive body to protect the wood from weather damage. A painted beehive will last much longer than one left unprotected. ...
ClassificationKingdom: Animalia (Animal)Phylum: Euarthropoda (Arthropod)Class: Insecta (Insect)Order: Hymenoptera (includes: wasps, bees, & ants)Family: Apidea (largest family of bees)Genus: Apis (Latin for Bee)Species: Millifera (Latin for Honey Bearer)The Caste SystemHoney Bees live in a social community collectively called a colony. The job of each individual depends...
Types of Hives - Vertical vs HorizontalThroughout history beekeepers have experimented with countless styles of hives for maintaining and managing honey bees. Some hives are extremely ornate resembling something more like a Victorian dollhouse (similar to the picture above) while others are as simple as...
The history of beekeeping has intrigued me ever since becoming a beekeeper. Although, as fascinating as this topic is to me, it is impossible for me to discuss everything regarding this topic in one blog post. This topic deserves more time and...
Importance of BeesMany studies have shown that insects are declining worldwide. The importance of the honey bee for sustaining life on Earth cannot be understated. In 2018, an unprecedented study, integrating data from around the globe, suggests that honey bees are the world's single most...
What Is Beeswax?Beeswax provides the foundation for the hive as the primary building block of their home construction. Beeswax is a foundational element of the honey bee colony that has a multitude of uses and benefits to the bees, and is VERY valuable. Honey bees...
Varroa mite has been prioritized by the Southern IPM Center as a #1 target to ensure honey bee survival. Southern Integrated Pest Management Center http://www.sipmc.org/SIPMC/assets/File/SERAPriorities2017(1).pdf.Varroa mites, under 10x magnification.What are Varroa mites?Varroa destructor (Varroa mite) is an external parasitic mite that feeds on and reproduces exclusively...