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LinkedInPosts Tagged: bee colony
Squirrel Vs. Bees: Sorry, No Vacancy!
Call it “The Battle Over a Tree Hollow." Feral bees have occupied—and...
Look closely and you can see a squirrel occupying a small hollow or cavity in a sycamore tree. The cavity has been home to feral bees for at least two decades. (Image taken in Vacaville by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
What's all that noise about? Can't a squirrel get some sleep? (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The squirrel pokes his head out of his home, his sleepy hollow. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Occupied! No vacancy! The squirrel is aware that bees are circling, trying to move into "his" hollow. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
With the squirrel gone, honey bees quickly move into the hollow. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Feral Bee Colony in Kenya: Nothing Short of Incredible
"EVERYTHING that colonies do when they are living on their own (not being managed by beekeepers) is...
A feral or wild bee colony in a fig tree in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, southern Kenya. (Photo by James Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of a feral or wild bee colony in a fig tree in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, southern Kenya. (Photo by James Keatley Garvey)
This image is of a painting of a log hive that Cornell professor Roger Morse purchased in a market in Kenya in the 1970s. (Photo courtesy of Thomas Seeley)
August 19th is National Honey Bee Day: Dr. Elina Niño reminds us to help honey bees cope with pests.
National Honey Bee Day is celebrated on the third Saturday of every August. This year it falls on Saturday the 19th. If you use integrated pest management, or IPM, you are probably aware that it can solve pest problems and reduce the use of pesticides that harm beneficial insects, including honey bees. But did you know that it is also used to manage pests that live inside honey bee colonies? In this timely podcast below, Dr. Elina Niño, UCCE apiculture extension specialist, discusses the most serious pests of honey bees, how beekeepers manage them to keep their colonies alive, and what you can do to help bees survive these challenges.
To hear the audio recording, click here.
To read the full transcript of the audio, click here.
Successful IPM in honey bee colonies involves understanding honey bee pest biology, regularly monitoring for pests, and using a combination of different methods to control their damage. Visit these resources for more information:
For Beekeepers:
The California Master Beekeeper Program
For All Bee Lovers:
Haagen Dazs Honey Bee Haven plant list
UC IPM Bee Precaution Pesticide Ratings and video tutorial
Sources for the Value of Honey Bees:
Flottum K. 2017. U.S. Honey Industry Report, 2016.
Architectural Structure of Collapsed Feral Bee Colony Saved for UC Davis Public Display
The architectural structure of a collapsed feral honey bee colony in a hollowed-out Eucalyptus tree...
The collapsed feral honey bee colony as it looked on Oct. 4 before it was cut and removed. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Jose Garcia of the Atlas Tree and Landscape Company prepares to save the collapsed colony for display in the Bohart Museum of Entomology. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
With part of the tree cut, the feral honey bee colony is ready to be saved. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Jose Garcia of the Atlas Tree and Landscape Company lowers the tree limb section. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Robert Arndt of the Nut Tree Airport hefts the tree section from Jose Garcia of the Atlas Tree and Landscape Co. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Showcasing the collapsed feral honey bee colony are (from left) Karen Cometta Shepard of Vacaville; Robert Arndt of the Nut Tree Airport; and Jose Garcia and Dennis Stark of the Atlas Tree and Landscape Company. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
With the collapsed feral honey bee colony in the foreground, the crew salvages the honey. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
A taste of honey: Honey comb in the hollow of the tree. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The Eighth Wonder of the World
It's time to add an “eighth wonder” to the Seven Wonders of the (Ancient) World: a...
A feral honey bee colony, with exposed comb, on a Eucalyptus tree in Vacaville. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Another view of the feral honey bee colony. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Close-up of bees in the feral colony. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
The feral honey bee colony is thriving. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
