April is Sugar Shake Test Month. Each year in April beekeepers are encouraged to test their own hives for varroa and other pests using the simple sugar shake test. From 1 July 2020, the NSW Biosecurity Act requires all registered beekeepers in NSW to conduct at least 2 hive inspections per year for the presence of
Small hive beetle response to red light We have all seen small hive beetles (Aethina tumida) scurry away from the frame tops and move down into the darker regions when opening a Langstroth bee hive. It is generally assumed that they are moving away from the introduced sunlight. A similar response is seen if we
WHAT IS SUGAR SHAKING? It’s a surveillance method to detect external parasites such as Varroa, Tropilaelaps mites and Braula fly. It is quick and simple – and does not kill the bees being sampled. The process of shaking bees in fine sugar dislodges the parasites’ so they can be collected and examined. To find out
The Queensland Government Depart of Agriculture and Fisheries has a number of resources regarding Asian honey bee, including this manual of the Asian Honey Bee. This is a link to their page Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Figure 1 European honey bee (left), Asian honey bee (right) (photograph courtesy of Paul Zborowski)
This series of 12 videos covers a broad range of topics including honey bee biosecurity and surveillance programs, a hypothetical varroa incursion in Australia and what it might mean for beekeepers and crop producers, information about the life cycle of varroa and hive inspections, and ways in which varroa can be controlled if it