The purpose of this website is to share some of the amazing things that I see in my honey bee colonies. I have been keeping bees in Philadelphia since 2007. I have never treated colonies with antibiotics. I believe that the answer to the varroa mite problem is going to be a genetic one, but we need to keep them in check until we get there. That is why I have started to raise daughter queens from my strongest overwintered colonies and brought in queens that show signs of resistance.
Spotted lantern fly egg masses on stored equipment
Alcohol wash
If your not testing to determine you mite load you are going to have a lot of trouble keeping your bees alive
Abnormal worker
Looks like she has deformed wing virus and a discolored thorax
Abnormal pupa
High mite load
I did not treat this hive effectively, but the lesson here is that mites move from hive to hive in the late summer and fall. Many beekeepers don’t believe in “mite bombs” but this proves it for me.
Deformed wing virus in bald faced hornet
I am guessing that this is DFW, but it sure looks like it. DFW can spread at contaminated food sources (flowers)
King bee
This is a drone in a queen cell. This was either in a laying worker hive or a drone laying queens hive
Varroa mite stuck in honey
Genetic defect
Im not sure what to make of this, this “drone” seams to be split down the abdomen.
Robber fly mimic
Robber fly enjoying one of my girls as a snack