Mite Bombs

Mite Bombs By Nicole McCormick, TTP Lead Technician Adapted from presentation by Lynae Ovinge The parasitic mite Varroa destructor poses a major bee health challenge for beekeepers in Alberta and throughout Canada. Varroa mites parasitize honey bees by feeding on both larvae and adult bees, weakening their immune systems. In severe cases, this can lead...

The Choreography of a Swarm: A Deeper Dive into Honey Bee Machinations 

  By Maren Vickers, TTP Summer Technician Honey bee swarms are a nuisance that every beekeeper is familiar with, as they are a natural part of the hive’s reproduction behaviour. While generally indicating a very strong colony, the consequences afterwards are unsavory: half your bees gone, a wild hive in an unknown location, a virgin...

From Bees to Monarchs: Celebrating Pollinator Week and Vision 2040

As we celebrate Pollinator Week 2024, we reflect on this year’s theme, “Vision 2040: Thriving ecosystems, economies, and agriculture.” It serves as a reminder of the integral role pollinators play in our world. Both the Honey Bee Health Coalition and Farmers for Monarchs, facilitated by the Keystone Policy Center, are committed to fostering environments where...

February Hive-Side Chat “Queen failure: Two years of surveying BC queens and potential causal factors” Join us for a monthly ‘Hive-side Chat’  where our Alberta Tech Transfer Program (TTP) lead Dr. Renata Borba will cover various topics related to honey bee health, biology, pathology (and more!), through a series of engaging on-line webinars. The Hive-side...