Failed Small Tc Hive
There was a swarm for a few days which seemed to have lead to the colony decline. Bee traffic dropped to zero and then I noticed the grubs. This box was made in 2016 and has housed bees from 2019 for four years and has never been split or opened. It has always been a very strong or active hive. Upon opening the box and investigating further… If we pretend
Failed Small Tc Hive
There was a swarm for a few days which seemed to have lead to the colony decline. Bee traffic dropped to zero and then I noticed the grubs. This box was made in 2016 and has housed bees from 2019 for four years and has never been split or opened. It has always been a very strong or active hive. Upon opening the box and investigating further… If we pretend
News
Stingless Bee Industry 2023
So how’s the stingless bee industry going in Australia? Mirroring the tough times the bees have had the last couple of years, business has taken a big hit as well. With lots of rain and a very long cold winter in 2022 many colonies were lost. This caused a bit
Hunter Valley NSW – Workshop 2023
Photo above: Paul and Greg splitting a hive Photos from the Hunter branch – Australian Native Bee Association workshop – 25/11/2023. This was held at Weston, west of Newcastle NSW. With 30 attendees, Tim Heard talked about native bees then there was a series of hive split demonstrations. A few
Peter and Tim’s Macadamia Farm – Nambucca Valley
Hidden in the picturesque Nambucca Valley NSW is a macadamia farm run by Peter and his son Tim. Tim was away working on the day Tim Heard and I dropped in but Peter was very enthusiastic to give us a tour of the 3000 tree, 75 acre farm. Peter bought
Pollination Workshop – Tocal College NSW
Held at Tocal College just north of Newcastle, this workshop was the last one for 2023. Funded by Agrifutures, The Department of Primary Industries NSW, supported by ANBA and presented by Tim Heard, these workshops have been aimed at providing farmers with better information on crop pollination using native bees.
Warwick’s Novy Hives
While passing through Port Macquarie Tim Heard and I took the opportunity to drop in and see Warwick who had an article published in a recent ANBA Cross Pollinator Newsletter. It was also great to meet Chelsea of Sticky Tips Bees when she dropped in. Chelsea owns a Honey Bee
Another Tough Year For The Bees 2023
In July 2022 I wrote a short article titled “Tough Year For The Bees“. Quote “With extended heavy rain and cold periods, native bees have had it pretty rough for the last year. Foraging times have been short and food resources low. It’s likely there will be quite a few
Had a colony failure recently?
Info
Research Before Buying Bee Hotels
Bee Hotels are great for providing extra habitat for certain species of native bees, but,
Popular Stingless Bee FAQs
I’ve made or bought an empty box, where can I get bees from? Native Stingless
Syrphid Fly – Wasp Mimic
Syrphid Fly – Wasp Mimic Hoverfly – Ceriana ornata. These look like wasps but you
Native Stingless Bees – Tetragonula carbonaria
Updated: October 2021 We have 11 described species of Stingless Bees in Australia and more
Native Bee Supplies
Visit Hivecraft.com.au
Building & Tests
Observation Windows
If you keep looking you wont be able to see! Observation windows have become quite
Accoya Wood
Alex of Spicers Hollow Native Bees dropped in some Accoya offcuts. I plan to make
Painting Gaps
Gaps between frames can be a real problem with bee hives as they allow pests
OATH Internal Volume
A lot of box designs use the same outside measurements of 200mm x 280mm and
Coatings Test 2022
I’ve added a couple of new products to the list. Doug Irvine uses the Intergrain
Humidity Monitoring – Updated
The Goals: 1. Monitor humidity levels inside multiple stingless bee colonies over time. 2. See
Temperature Tests 2024
Article under construction! I’ve been fine tuning the testing methods over the last couple of
Honey Super Designs & Testing
Stingless Bees can create their honey pots everywhere within the hive but it’s commonly thought
