The table below shows brood development and the impact of queen isolation (so she cannot lay). Green cells are eggs Blue cells are larvae Orange cells are capped brood The chart is based on the worker lifecycle (21 days from egg to emergence). Obviously drone brood is slightly longer under cell cappings (24 days to emergence). The yellow cells up in the top row indicate when queen is isolated (day #1) and released (day #15). We are assuming the queen immediately begins to lay

Everything seems to have skyrocketed in price over the past 2-3 years. One thing that hasn't changed much is the price of honey. Retail...

Just some quick thoughts on how to feed sugar to bees. Use only white sugar! Raw sugar contains more material that bees cannot digest and...

If: You're a QLD beekeeper. Your hives have varroa mite. You don't quite know what to do or who can help you. Varroa mite in an alcohol...

Up until 2022, Australia was free from varroa destructor , a pernicious ectoparasite of apis mellifera , the western honeybee. Ever since...

The winter solstice has passed and the bees are becoming more active. Eucalyptus and other natives set blooms, the days lengthen and...

My experiences with fire ant baits and honey bees.

Every time you use your smoker, resin and tar build up. Eventually, the smoker no longer works efficiently and it can become difficult to...

My thoughts on managing varroa destructor as an Australian Beekeeper.

Today I had the sad, but necessary, job of cleaning up a dead European Honey Bee colony. A homeowner called me to discuss removing an...

On the 5th of July 2023 I received my first swarm call of the season. It has been an unusually mild "winter" here on the Gold Coast,...

Does peppermint work agains Small Hive Beetle?

As a beekeeper, there seems to never be a time when I'm not busy. There are always jobs on the ever-growing TODO list, no matter how many...

While winter is often short and mild on the Gold Coast, all beekeepers need to ensure their hives are adequately prepared for the colder...