New post : Odds and ends - part 1 of N
Weather and the prediction of foraging activity. Swarms and the production of afterswarms (casts). Something for everyone …
New post : Odds and ends - part 1 of N
Weather and the prediction of foraging activity. Swarms and the production of afterswarms (casts). Something for everyone …
“[Apivar] should be disposed of in accordance with local requirements”.
Which are what, precisely?
US EPA instructions say ‘wrap used strips in newspaper and place in the trash’ … with the container going to ‘sanitary landfill’ or incineration. In the UK we’re supposed to ask, and the implication is that local requirements might vary. Surely far better to have some logical and clear instructions?
What do I do? I wrap them in a paper and put them in the household waste for landfill or incineration. Apivar rapidly degrades in soil, and they should be degraded well before they leach into any groundwater.
I’ve been investigating command line clients for BlueSky. Some that I’ve previously used (like perl’s App::bsky) appear to have been left behind by the rapidly evolving AT protocol. However, this shell script works (on Raspberry Pi/Debian) and can post text and/or images … nice.
New post - November interlude
Late season tasks in the apiary; mites, brood, contrary bees building brace comb and the characteristic signs of a hive in terminal decline.
The first large flocks of fieldfares scatter downwind before me on my walk. They always seem nervous when they first migrate here, as though humans are rarely seen in their breeding grounds in Northern Scandinavia. However, for all I know, they might be from Oslo, a city larger than Edinburgh.
In November, nothing says “failed queen” more clearly than drones in the hive and a load of unconsumed stores.
Ardnamurchan never disappoints …
Loch Sunart, 10th November ‘24
A damning indictment of the UK honey industry … >95% of honey sold by retailers and supermarkets in the UK was ‘suspicious’. Honey tested from beekeepers was genuine. The testing used DNA metagenomic analysis to detect syrup-adulterated honey, similar to a method I recently discussed in Fake news. Real honey isn’t cheap, cheap honey isn’t real.
New post - Climate change and beekeeping
How will climate change impact bees and beekeeping? Flooded apiaries and poor queen mating might be the least of our problems. Don’t think it won’t happen … it already is.
Where’s your passport?
Hello? Is there anyone out there? This is @theapiarist on micro.blog …