A hospital in Wales had a sticky situation on their hands with two colonies in the walls, so they called in the Tree Bee Society to remove them. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/08/18/bee_hives_spotted_in_hospital_after_honey_started_dripping_down_the_walls/ Continue Reading
“The genetic pathway toward social behavior for honey bees and mammals is more similar than previously thought, according to a new study published in PLOS Computational Biology titled “Conservation in Mammals of Genes Associated with Aggression-Related Behavioral Phenotypes in Honey Bees.” Social animals have complex lives, where development and survival are dependent on social interaction. Many animals including humans,… Continue Reading
Myrtle Rust vigilance needed over summer Biosecurity Advisory 29/2015 Tasmanians are urged to lookout for signs of myrtle rust to ensure any new detections of the fungal disease can be dealt with swiftly and effectively. Warm summer temperatures and humid conditions create an ideal environment for myrtle rust. As at 10 December 2015 there is… Continue Reading
According to new research, Royal Jelly Isn’t What Makes a Queen Bee a Queen Bee. Rather it is the absence of substances found in bee bread which triggers the development of ovaries. Some interesting implications to the supposed benefits of eating Royal Jelly can be drawn from this. Continue Reading
More than Honey Continue Reading
Forestry Tasmania have sent out notice to stakeholders of their intention to use pesticides and herbicides in areas which may be hosting bee hives for leatherwood. “Dear Stakeholder, As some of you may have already seen, Forestry Tasmania published public notices in all of the major newspapers on the weekend to advise our stakeholders of… Continue Reading
CSIRO have announced a program to improve our understanding of the behaviour of honeybees. The Global Initiative for Honeybee Health is “an international collaboration of researchers, beekeepers, farmers, industry and technology companies set up to research the threats to bee health in order to better understand bee colony collapse and find solutions that will help secure crop pollination.”… Continue Reading
This standard has been developed in response to the plethora of different Langstroth beehive parts in use in Tasmania all claiming to be ‘standard’ but often proving to have compatibility problems one with another. Manufacturers adopting this standard must acknowledge the source and may specify “Manufactured to the Southern Tasmanian Standard” or “Complies with the… Continue Reading
When it comes to vaccinating their babies, bees don’t have a choice—they naturally immunize their offspring against specific diseases found in their environments. And now for the first time, scientists have discovered how they do it. Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2015-07-bees-naturally-vaccinate-babies.html#jCp Continue Reading
Southern Beekeepers Association have been working on a Code Of Practice for Urban Beekeeping for some time, and recently approached Hobart City Council to discuss altering the current highly restrictive regulations: no more than two hives without the General Manager’s approval, all hives a minimum of fifty metres from the nearest residence. Technically, the fifty metre… Continue Reading