One of the side effects of the attention pollinators get, is that you can buy “bee friendly” plants everywhere. However, as with every hype, it may be wise to take a closer look at these plants. Not always the flowers are really bee friendly and sometimes you may also do harm. A very recent example…
For a long time, there was no awareness for invasive species in general. Europeans brought their familiar domestic animals and cultivated plants to the Americas, to Australia and all other countries they colonized. Nowadays, alien species continue to establish in new habitats. Though there may be more attention, global trade opens the door for migration…
Three years ago, it happened that I was in Andalucía in February. I arrived quite late the day before I had to work on a study in Lanjarón, near Granada. Due to the darkness, I did not realize that the mountains I drove up were covered by almond bloom. Driving to the apiary the next…
Honey bees like it sweet – they forage nectar and produce honey. But salt? It may seem strange at the first sight, but they like it salty, too. Putting it in other words: they need minerals. Beekeepers may experience a strong smell from time to time opening their colonies. This is due to this need…
Honey bees originally nest in cavities in about 5 m height. In Tom Seeley’s book “Honeybee democracy” is plenty of information about the nesting preferences of this most known bee species. Beekeeping practices often do not respect these preferences. I already discussed some conflicts of interest between beekeepers and honey bees which may influence colony…
This was a very busy and demanding week. I was at the CREA-API in Bologna teaching at the yearly honey bee pathology course. This is not a regular course. In the institutes I worked in Germany, usually – depending on the topic – courses took one or two days. More or less teachers presented the…
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