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• eHarmony go around

  About me First thing – I’m a honey bee researcher, writer, and invited speaker.  If you’ve got an issue with honey bees, I’m unfortunately not for you. I was a devoted and loving husband to my long-time ex-wife.  She was younger than me, but aged more quickly, and as her energy wound down she became […]

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• Thymol — A new application method? Part 2

  Contents Extended-release thymol 1 The optimal release rate and placement of thymol 1 What’s The Optimal Dose?. 2 Our Field Testing. 3 The Dose-Response Curve. 12 Discussion. 12 Citations and notes 13   Thymol — A new application method? Part 2 First published in ABJ in December 2022 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com   I do a […]

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• Thymol — a New Application Method? Part 1

  Contents “Off-Label” use of thymol 4 Thymol products for varroa control 5 Understanding Thymol 6 Reaction to the delivery matrix by the bees 6 Thymol in Shop Towels. 7 Removal and dispersion of thymol matrices by the Bees 9 Extended-Release Thymol?. 11 A Thicker Matrix. 11 moving ahead to 2022. 15 Citations and notes 15 […]

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• Formic Pro in Hot Weather — Slowing the rate of vapor release

  Contents Hard “Flash Treatment” vs Slow-Release. 1 Flash Treatments 1 Extended-release application. 2 our Follow-up experiments. 3 But did the wrapped strips kill mites?. 8 Discussion. 9 Citations and notes 9   Formic Pro in Hot Weather — Slowing the rate of vapor release First published in ABJ in October 2022 Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com   […]

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• Formic Pro and Queens in Hot Weather

  Contents Formic for mite management 1 A trick for using formic pro on weak colonies 2 Queen loss in hot weather 5 Why would queens be more susceptible to formic than workers?. 6 A test of queen loss in tiny colonies. 7 Taking advantage of opportunity. 10 Trial #1 — Would foil covers reduce queen […]

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• Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance, Part 3; Shifting the Genetics of a Breeding Population

    Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance, Part 3 Shifting the Genetics of a Breeding Population Randy Oliver ScientificBeekeeping.com   The alleles necessary for varroa resistance already existed in my stock of bees, so I didn’t need to “create” anything new. What I’m attempting to do via strong selective pressure is to (1) eliminate from our […]

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• Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance, Part 2; Mite Resistance and Genetic Expression

  Contents The Achilles’ heel of varroa. 2 Genotype vs. Individual- or colony-level phenotype. 2 gene regulation. 3 An example of the differential expression of genes in the honey bee. 4 What Is our own bees’ mechanism(s) for Resistance?. 6 Testing for Uncapping behavior 9 Is there a Cost to the colony for resistance?. 10 Our […]

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• Walking the Walk Selective Breeding for Mite Resistance; 2022 Update, Part 1

  Contents Resistance vs. Tolerance or “Survival” 1 Managed apiaries vs. natural evolution. 2 Background. 3 The necessity of Mechanical Agitators 3 The resistant colonies 6 So what’s our progress so far?. 10 A built-in lag inherent in open mating programs 13 Exhibit A: Mite-count tracking for our 2022 breeders 14 Coming. 16 References. 16   […]

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• 2022 Extended-release Oxalic Update Part 3

  Contents The slow effect of OaE. 1 Mite turnover 3 A bothersome question. 5 You don’t need to kill a single mite in order to control varroa! 5 Varroa’s world: Olfaction, taste, and touch. 7 Disruption of mite sensory perception. 9 “Blinding” or irritant?. 9 A relevant question. 9 Wrap Up. 10 Citations and notes […]

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• 2022 Extended-release Oxalic (OAE) Update Part 2

  Contents An additional test of matrices and OA:gly ratios. 1 Cardboard Strips vs. Sponges. 3 Compostability of spent sponges. 3 A winter field trial 4 Methods. 5 Results. 9 Discussion. 11 The Elephant in the Room.. 12 Reality Check. 12 A possible easy solution for getting us legal 13 Citations and notes. 15     […]

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