Alan Wade and Frank Derwent In this two-part series we examine first the lost art of skepping and its transition to the modern and robust frame hive. To begin we trace the origins and practice […]
Alan Wade As individuals, we all experience collective amnesia whenever it’s time to decide what to do next. We muddle along, sometimes making ill-advised choices, if not first overtaken by events. Bees are somewhat different. […]
Bee Buzz Box – May 2019 Alan Wade No, Bee Buzz Box is not trying to cast aspersions on your midriff. But everyone carries a spare in their boot. It is ready and inflated when […]
Alan Wade Should I feed my dog? In a new series of articles, Bee Buzz Box will challenge traditional beliefs that are more folklore than reality. Some ‘time-established’ practices may not be in the best […]
Bee Buzz Box Bees in Summer February 2019 Alan Wade Bounteous summer is the season bees have to have. However Australian summer heatwaves would seem rather too cooky for our bees as these insects evolved […]
Bee Buzz Box January 2019 Where Rust and Moth Doth Corrupt Alan Wade Frontispiece: Wax Moth pupae Victorian Department of Agriculture Old comb is an easy meal for wax moths. To the beginner or unwary, […]
Alan Wade Hives with two queens In Part I we explored the ‘The one colony – One queen principle’, the universal condition of the honey bee colony. That two or more queens might be introduced […]
Alan Wade All together altogether We often take for granted that bees work cooperatively and then it would seem of their own volition? We would be quite surprised were we hive a swarm only to […]
Alan Wade Polistes chinesis 47 cell nest (above and below) from Jerrabomberra Wetlands Polistes humilis from Fogg Dam NT August 2018 In Part I, we briefly examined the origins of advanced eusocial behaviour amongst ants, […]
Alan Wade The one colony – One queen principle One of the fundamental operating tenets of any honey bee colony is that it will support only one queen, an innate characteristic of the eleven or so […]