The scientific name of the hawthorn is Crataegus monogyna, Crataegus comes from a Greek word meaning ‘strong’ while monogyna means ‘one ovary’ and the resulting single stone in the fruits, or haws, is a distinguishing feature. The hawthorn has many other names including Sceach Gheal, Whitethorn or Quickthorn and May, Maybush or Mayblossom. Continue reading Bee Trees – Hawthorn (Crataegus monogyna)
Category Archives: Bee Basics
Carniolan Bee
The Carniolan bee also known as Apis mellifera carnica or A.m.carnica for short has its origins in Eastern Europe and is therefore adapted to a continental climate with cold hard winters and long hot summers. It is now the main bee in Germany.
Photo from https://beeinformed.org/2012/04/queen-bee-identification/
It is also known as the Grey bee because 3 segments of its abdomen are broadly covered in a thick pelt of short grey hairs which partially conceals the underlying dark abdomen giving it a frosted look. Photo from queen bee identification article on www.beeinformed.org
It is similar to the Italian bee in that it is a medium sized bee with a long narrow body and limbs and it also has the same long proboscis which enables it to make full use of the red clover – an important forage crop in Europe. Here in Ireland, your bees will have to be quick off the mark if you want to get to the clover before that army of sacred cows known as the ‘Dairy Industry’
Coming, as it does, from a region where summers are predictably long and warm, it has a strong swarming tendency. In its native range, winters are long and cold so it does fares better over winter than the Italian bee, being very thrifty with a smaller brood nest. In spring, the build-up can be very rapid indeed an adaptation to take advantage of an early flow. If there is one…
Like all honey bee subspecies in their pure form, Carniolan bees can have a gentle nature which is good. When matings are mixed, aggression can be expected.
Here in the far west of Europe we have our own native bee, the Irish native honey bee, Apis mellifera mellifera, which has evolved over thousands of years and ‘knows’ how to cope with whatever this clammy, wet and unpredictable Irish climate can throw at it.
If you are thinking of importing Carniolan bees – or buying from somebody else who imports Carniolan or any other bees for that matter – remember that you will be helping to erode the genetics of the Irish bee. Ask yourself – why would you want to do that? Wouldn’t you prefer to be a proper beekeeper? Learn to work with your locals and rear your own queens?
Lots of information on that here : Queen Rearing
And don’t forget – small Hive Beetle is out there waiting for somebody just like you. You don’t want to find yourself in front of god explaining why you destroyed your neighbour’s native bee breeding programme and at the same time introduced the most devastating bee parasite to Ireland now do you?
Best not mention you knew what you were doing.
Click here for more on Small Hive Beetle
Click here for more about the Native Irish Bee
Click here for updated list of Irish Native Honey Bee suppliers
Click here for more about the Italian bee
Click here for the Buckfast bee
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Buckfast Bee
The Buckfast Bee is named after Buckfast Abbey in Devon, in England, where it was first bred by famous bee breeder Brother Adam.
Brother Adam (Karl Kehrle 1898-1996) came to Buckfast Abbey from Germany at the age of 12 and began to assist the beekeeper there. In 1916, 30 of the 46 beehives at the Abbey were wiped out by Isle of Wight disease, now recognised as Acarine – a parasitic mite which moves in and occupies the windpipes of bees. Continue reading Buckfast Bee
Italian Bee
The Italian bee – also known as Apis mellifera ligustica or A.m.ligustica for short – is perfectly adapted to the Italian climate and flora and a very glamorous bee altogether.
As you can see from this photo, borrowed from http://beeinformed.org, it is mainly light brown in colour and strikingly striped with dark brown on the abdomen.
Bee Basics – the Beespace
Reverend Langstroth patented the beespace in America in 1851 and since then he is credited with its discovery.
This is Reverend Langstroth:
However, it was already in use in Europe by the following two gentlemen – Johann Dzierzon and August von Berlepsch:
But what is the beespace I hear you ask. Well unless you are a Developer you will have heard of Building Regulations and be familiar with the concept of Standard Sizes – for example the standard size for a doorway in a house is 775-800mm wide by 2100mm tall. This allows us humans to move about the place without ducking or turning sideways. Continue reading Bee Basics – the Beespace
Beekeeping for Beginners Course 2014
Anybody out there looking for a Beekeeping for Beginners course?
Look no further:-
http://southkildarebeekeepers.weebly.com/beginners.html
Or there’s a poster here – click it for a closer look.
Irish Native Bee
The Irish native bee has the Latin name Apis mellifera mellifera or A.m.m for short. It is also known as the Dark bee.
How to recognise the Irish bee…
…these are some of my native Irish bees. Click the photo for a better view.
Here are some of the characteristics to watch out for when selecting breeding stocks: Continue reading Irish Native Bee
Bee Trees – Willow (Salix spp)
Willows (Salix spp.) bloom early in the year – February or March – and are very important and popular with the bees which can be seen thudding onto the landing board bearing very large loads of powder-yellow pollen. In an exceptionally warm spring the bees may even bring in a small crop of honey but this is very rare.
They are a complex group of many species ranging from ground hugging mountain shrubs, to graceful riverside trees. Despite their diversity of form and habitat, willows are often to be found in wet, boggy places or close to water. Continue reading Bee Trees – Willow (Salix spp)
Bee Trees – Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)
The sycamore is a valuable tree for both bees and beekeepers. Flowering quite early in the season, late April / early May it provides copious quantities of nectar and pollen whenever the weather is good enough to allow the bees to fly. The flowers hang downwards beneath the canopy where they are protected from the rain. Sycamore honey is pale gold with a greenish tinge and pollen loads are a greenish grey. Click photo below for a close-up.
Or click here for more pollen load photos
Click here for seasonal Forage Guide
Otherwise, its rude health, profligate rate of reproduction and non-native status mean the sycamore tends to be scorned as a weed tree species and ecological disaster area. Continue reading Bee Trees – Sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus)
Pollination
Any warm sunny days in spring the bees will be working the snowdrops so watch out for orange/brown pollen loads – see photo above.
For the bees, this fresh pollen and perhaps a little nectar heralds the beginning of a new year and may help nudge the queen into lay.
From the point of view of the snowdrops – the bees are welcome pollinators. Pollination is the transfer of pollen from the male parts of one flower to the female parts or another flower. Wind pollination is where male flowers or catkins of a plant, hazel for example, release massive amounts of pollen into the air where it is carried on the wind to the female flowers. Insect pollination is where the same job is carried out by an insect. To attract insects, the flowers of such plants often exude nectar.
That’s the bare bones of it and that might be enough. For the nitty gritty though – read on… Continue reading Pollination