MSU Apiculture Update by Ana Heck Webinars Upcoming webinars: Monday, August 16th at 7:00pm Eastern:Dr. Jennifer Tsuruda will present on Jennifer's Apiary Vacation Slideshow: a lighthearted overview of activities in the apiary over a year, with biology mixed in. Special thanks to Southeastern Michigan Beekeepers Association (SEMBA) for sponsoring this webinar!Monday, September 13th at 7:00pm … Continue reading MSU Apiculture Extension Update: Webinars, Resources, and Press
MSU Apiculture Update: Honey Supers, the MSU Pollinator Performance Center, and Upcoming Webinars
By Ana Heck Honey Supers Many of our honey bee yards have been experiencing strong nectar flows. We added honey supers to give colonies more room for incoming nectar. Honey bee hives with honey super boxes at the Michigan State University Extension Tollgate Farm & Education System in Novi. Photo: Ana Heck MSU Pollinator Performance … Continue reading MSU Apiculture Update: Honey Supers, the MSU Pollinator Performance Center, and Upcoming Webinars
MSU Apiculture Extension Update: Sampling, Splits, and a TV Interview
By Ana Heck USDA APHIS Survey of Honey Bee Pests and Diseases MSU and MDARD inspect a colony before collecting samples for the National Honey Bee Survey. Photo: Peter Fowler Inspectors from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (MDARD) came to the MSU Pollinator Performance Center to conduct the U.S. Department of Agriculture … Continue reading MSU Apiculture Extension Update: Sampling, Splits, and a TV Interview
MSU Apiculture Extension Update: Splits and Bees Back at Tollgate!
By Ana Heck Splitting Colonies at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary Swarming is the way that the honey bee colony, a superorganism, reproduces. In the spring, we split strong colonies to deter swarming. You can learn more about swarm deterrence and timing of splits on our recorded webinar video, Established Colonies: Preparing for Swarm Season. We … Continue reading MSU Apiculture Extension Update: Splits and Bees Back at Tollgate!
MSU Apiculture Extension Update: Early-Spring Beekeeping, Shrews, Webinars, and Resources
by Ana Heck MSU Apiculture Extension & Education Apiary Update: Colony survival in our MSU Apiculture Extension & Education Apiaries was overall good, with our bees at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary and the MSU Entomology Farm performing the best and colonies at the Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center (SWMREC) and Pollinator Performance Center struggling … Continue reading MSU Apiculture Extension Update: Early-Spring Beekeeping, Shrews, Webinars, and Resources
MSU Apiculture Extension Update: Winter Updates and Opportunities
By Ana Heck, Adam Ingrao, and Isabel Branstrom MSU Extension & Education ApiariesWe wintered MSU Education and Extension Apiaries in November. When temperatures were above freezing and the bees were loosely clustered, we treated all colonies for varroa mites with an oxalic acid dribble (solution method) treatment. We also stapled ½” or ¼” hardware cloth … Continue reading MSU Apiculture Extension Update: Winter Updates and Opportunities
MSU Pollinator Performance Center
Ana Heck MSU recently assigned a building and 15 acres on MSU’s South Campus for a Pollination Performance Center. The Pollination Performance Center space will greatly improve the MSU Apiculture Team’s capacity for pollinator extension, research, and teaching. The Pollinator Performance Center building was previously used for indoor animal air quality research. The building has … Continue reading MSU Pollinator Performance Center
Connecting with and Supporting the MSU Extension Apiculture Team
eXtension Ask an Expert: Do you have beekeeping or gardening questions? The MSU Apiculture Team is asking that you submit these questions through eXtension Ask an Expert because it allows them to better track questions answered and direct your question to the right person to respond. Facebook pages: Michigan State University Beekeeping (@MSUHoneyBees)Michigan Pollinator Initiative … Continue reading Connecting with and Supporting the MSU Extension Apiculture Team
MSU Extension Apiary Update: Varroa, Small Hive Beetles, and a Bear!
Ana Heck MSU Extension Apiaries: This year we were not able to use our MSU Extension apiaries for hands-on workshops with Michigan beekeepers. We have been maintaining the colonies with the hope that we will be able to hold in-hive classes next year. The beekeeping season is winding down! We pulled honey in August and … Continue reading MSU Extension Apiary Update: Varroa, Small Hive Beetles, and a Bear!
Michigan Extension Apiary Update: Honey, Queen Events, and Varroa
HoneySo far, it’s seemed to be a pretty good honey year. Many Michigan beekeepers report strong spring and early summer nectar flows. Some of MSU’s hives at the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary in Hickory Corners. Don’t let the tall grass fool you - some of the hives are 5 boxes tall! Photo: Ana Heck Some of … Continue reading Michigan Extension Apiary Update: Honey, Queen Events, and Varroa
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