Many pollination studies with honey bees have examined the effect of colony density on crop yield and yet overlook the effect of variation in the population size of these colonies. High colony density in northern highbush blueberry has been met with concerns from beekeepers who feel higher densities will intensify...
Honey bees mark artificial flowers with scents that
advertise about the previous history of the flower to
subsequent foragers. Unrewarding flowers are marked with a
scent, after a single visit, that makes the flower less
attractive to subsequent foragers. Previously rewarding
flowers are initially less attractive than unvisited
flowers but...
BACKGROUND: Training pesticide applicators on how to understand a product’s toxicity to honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) by reading the product label is a way of reducing pesticide exposure to bees. Many applicator resources focus on how to interpret the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (USEPA’s) recommended language for communicating...
The biology of the two external Acarapis mites of honey bees,
Acarapis dorsalis Morgenthaler and Acarapis externus Morgenthaler
was studied. It was observed that both Acarapis species have similar
developmental period (8-9 days) with males emerging earlier than
females.
Mite load and infestation rate of A. dorsalis decreased as bees...
The tracheal mite, Acarapis woodi (Rennie), parasitizes the
honey bee, Apis mellifera L., an insect used extensively by humans
for pollination of domestic crops and for bee products, primarily
honey.
This parasite was first discovered in 1921 on the Isle of
Wight, a small island situated in the English Channel...
Revised August 1974. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalog
A guide for both commercial growers who rent honey bees for pollination and beekeepers who provide pollination services, including information on honey bee colony strength evaluation, average number of colonies needed for pollination, basic honey bee biology in context of pollination, and pollination contracts.
The number of drones and genetic diversity among drones are
essential components to a well mated queen. Varroa destructor
preferentially parasitizes drone brood, and is thought to be
responsible for the loss of feral populations that once provided
additional drones for honey bee mating areas. It is necessary to
use...