Bee Healthy

Phil Lester's first book, The Vulgar Wasp, was about one of the world's most hated insects. His second is about just the opposite &– the honey bee, arguably one of our best-loved six-legged creatures. People have revered honey bees for centuries. Today we celebrate them with toys, postage stamps and campaigns to raise awareness; we dress up in large bee suits to protest the use of pesticides; we've even sent bees into space and watched as they adjusted to microgravity.Bees are one of the world's most efficient pollinators. Their work is vital to the success of many food crops, and hence to the world's economy. So we need to take seriously any threats to their health &– including parasites, pathogens, predators and pesticides &– and, guided by evidence at every turn, find a way to minimise harm and keep bees thriving. As Healthy Bee, Sick Bee shows, this is no small task.In this book, entomologist Phil Lester explores the wonderfully complex and sometimes brutally efficient life history of honey bees, and the problems they face in New Zealand and around the globe. What causes a beehive to collapse? Are pesticides as big a problem as they appear? What can we do to improve the health

The aim of this book is to provide bee-keepers with a guide to the common pests and diseases of bees. Healthy Bees covers seasonal factors that affect the health of the colony, nutrition, non-infectious disorders, diseases, exotic pests, and strategies to prevent them. Clear photographs to help you recognise and identify pests and diseases, and videos demonstrate collecting samples from your hive. Contents Introduction CHAPTER 1: The honey bee Introduction Lifecycle of the honey bee Castes of bees and their roles in the colony Genetics Inbreeding Sex hormones in the hive CHAPTER 2: Colony size Introduction Colony size varies with seasons Nectar flow and brood rearing Managing bees in winter Managing bees in spring CHAPTER 3: Nutrition Food for bees Feeding sugar to honey bees Plants as poisons CHAPTER 4: Effects of seasons and location Seasons Location CHAPTER 5: Disease and disorder Health of bees is important Non-infectious disorders Causes of disease CHAPTER 6: Strategies to prevent disease Be alert Inspect the hive Comb replacement program Barrier system Best practice CHAPTER 7: Diseases of the honey bee brood American foulbrood European foulbrood Chalkbrood Sacbrood Kashmir bee virus Black queen cell virus Prepare a larval smear for diagnosis CHAPTER 8: Diseases of adult honey bees Nosema disease Chronic bee paralysis virus (CBPV) CHAPTER 9: Hive pests Small hive beetle (SHB) Wax moth Other pests CHAPTER 10: Exotic pests Varroa mite Sugar shaking to detect external parasites Tracheal mite Tropilaelaps mite Predatory hornets Large hive beetles CHAPTER 11: Surveillance and response to exotic pests and disease Surveillance Response to surveillance alert CHAPTER 12: Honey bees and the law Introduction Beekeeper registration Abandoned or neglected hives The legal requirement to notify Biosecurity Code of Practice Bonus Chapter: Testing for Hygienic Behaviour Liquid Nitrogen-Killed Brood Test Appendix 1: Glossary Appendix 2: The pollen story Not all pollen is equal No pollen and the colony dies Pollen substitutes Sugar syrup, brood rearing, pollen foraging References Appendix 3: Competencies supported by this publication

Since 1973, tens of thousands of first-time and experienced beekeepers alike have relied on The Beekeeper's Handbook as the best single-volume guide to the hobby and profession of beekeeping. Featuring clear descriptions and authoritative content, this handbook provides step-by-step directions accompanied by more than 100 illustrations for setting up an apiary, handling bees, and working throughout the season to maintain a healthy colony of bees and a generous supply of honey. This book explains the various colony care options and techniques, noting advantages and disadvantages, so that beekeepers can make the best choices for their own hives. This fourth edition has been thoroughly redesigned, expanded, updated, and revised to incorporate the latest information on Colony Collapse Disorder, green IPM methods, regional overwintering protocols, and procedures for handling bees and managing diseases and pests such as African honey bees and bee mites. The book explains not only how but also why each step is part of the transformative process that results in the magnificent creation of honey. This essential guide is a beekeeper's most valuable resource. Colony Collapse Disorder has renewed our recognition of the importance of small-scale beekeeping and the critical role of bees in the production of our food supply. For the growing number of beekeepers looking to set up hives for either a rewarding hobby or a profitable commercial enterprise, this updated and revised essential how-to guide includes: step-by-step directions for all stages from setting up an apiary to harvesting honey; approximately 100 illustrations featuring techniques, equipment, and bee biology; information about how to manage new pests and diseases including Colony Collapse Disorder; coverage of new trends and changes in beekeeping including green IPM techniques and new laws for urban beekeeping; the most up-to-date bibliography and list of resources on the topic; and a new user-friendly book design that clearly highlights instructions and other important features.

In autumn 2006, an unnerving phenomenon hit the United States; honeybees were mysteriously disappearing from hives across the nation, with beekeepers reporting losses of between thirty and ninety percent of their colonies. The problem soon spread to parts of Europe and even Asia, earning the name Colony Collapse Disorder. To this day no one is quite sure why it is happening or the exact causes. However, in 1923 Rudolf Steiner predicted that bees would die out within a hundred years if they were to be reproduced using only artificial methods. It is startling and worrying that his prediction appears to be coming true. Gunther Hauk at Spikenard Farm Honey Bee Sanctuary Queen of The Sun: What Are the Bees Telling Us? is a companion book to the critically acclaimed film of the same name. Compiled by the film's director Taggart Siegel, it makes a profound examination of the global bee crisis through the eyes of biodynamic and organic beekeepers, scientists, farmers, philosophers, and poets. Revealing the mysterious world of the beehive and the complex social community of bees, the book unveils millennia of beekeeping, highlighting our historic and sacred relationship with bees, and how this is being compromised by highly mechanized and intensive corporate agribusiness practices. The bees are messengers, and their continuing disappearance is a resounding wake-up call for humanity. With full-color, stunning photography throughout, this engaging, alarming, but ultimately uplifting anthology begins with an account of how Siegel's film came to be made. It continues with a wealth of articles, interviews, and poems that offer unique philosophical and spiritual insights. In addition to investigating many contributory causes of Colony Collapse Disorder, the book also offers remedies and hope for the future. Queen of The Sun features contributions from Taggart Siegel, Jon Betz, David Heath, Gunther Hauk, Horst Kornberger, Jennifer Kornberger, Jacqueline Freeman, Johannas Wirz, Kerry Grefig, Michael Thiele, Raj Patel, Vandana Shiva, Jeffery Smith, and Matthew Barton. These compelling voices signal a growing movement striving to found a culture fully in balance with nature. Norbert Poeplau with Mellifera bee hives