April Honey Bee Foraging Conditions Ireland – by Apis Protect The ability of honey bees to forage is affected by a considerable number of factors. Temperature, sunshine levels, rainfall, windspeed, humidity, forage proximity and colony strength all play a role in determining how many bees can forage and how effective they can be. The effect […]
Creating Gardens for Pollinators – by Daphne Barden Daphne Barden Daphne Barden is the proprietor of Long Garden Bees & a member of Longford Beekeepers’ Association Lilac As we now approach warmer and longer days, we are seeing an increase in colour around our gardens. From May onwards, bee numbers are rapidly increasing in our […]
COLOSS Survey 2020/2021 – by Dr Mary Coffey Dear Beekeeper, The annual COLOSS survey on winter colony losses is now available for completion online by National Apiculture Programme. Alternatively, it can be completed manually by printing this PDF file: Coloss Questionnaire 2021 Completed surveys should be returned to: Dr John Breen, Bee Survey, University of […]
Preliminary analysis of the 2019/2020 COLOSS survey – by Dr Mary Coffey & Dr John Breen The annual COLOSS survey of winter colony losses comes at the end of the winter and the beginning of the new beekeeping season. The survey which uses a standardised questionnaire was originally developed in 2008 by the COLOSS monitoring […]
Beeswax Donation Drive for Pieta House – by Stephen Gallagher Stephen Gallagher A few weeks ago, Pieta House ran their annual “Darkness into Light” donation drive, where participants walk from darkness into light very early in the morning. This initiative is to raise vital funds for Pieta’s important lifesaving work helping those in need with […]