- she explained all the horrible things that can go wrong:
La Nosemose - Nosema, when bees get diarrhea - and you don't want any of that in your honey
Mycos- fungus infection likely to happen when hive temperature drops below 30°
Virus' SDV /DWV and lots of other initials - all bad !
Loque Americaine & Loque European (have learnt Loque = Foulbrood ; thank-you Google Translater ) if this strikes, you have to alert the authorities
Varroe Destructor - a tiny spider mite that feeds on the bee larvae.
Apparently to keep your hive healthy, you need to keep it warm (but not too warm), keep it dry, make sure the bees have about 12-15kg of honey to see them through the winter, have a young healthy queen, treat them for varroe mites 2 or 3 times a year, make sure they have a source of water nearby, and keep the bees unstressed by leaving them alone as much as possible! Oh - and keep your fingers crossed!
- simples !
In the summer, worker bees make 20-50 trips a day to collect pollen & nectar
To make 1kg of honey, collectively they will cover an amazing 40 000 kms, the equivalent of going once around the equator!
A healthy, well populated hive can make up to 40 kg of honey a year!
Asian Hornet update - 7 caught in trap this week!