The Yorkshire Beekeepers Association (YBKA) put on a captivating webinar with honeybee expert Dr. Jamie Ellis. Chaired by Elaine Robinson, the session concentrated on “Queen Events” that honeybee colonies sometimes face. Dr. Ellis, who heads the Honeybee Research and Extension Lab at the University of Florida, hosted a talk that was both informative and practical and held the attention of a good mix of beekeeping beginners and veterans.

A Global Perspective on Beekeeping

Dr. Ellis, recognised for his hit podcast Two Bees in a Podcast, started by saying how excited he was to be in the UK and to be speaking with UK beekeepers. He shared stories from his trips to UK Beekeeping Association meetings and used those as springboards to talk about the challenges beekeepers face everywhere. He went on to say that the traditional model of education—learning about beekeeping and then practicing it—has to change if we’re going to keep honey bees. “Beekeeping is a lifelong learning journey,” he said.

Understanding Queen Events

At the heart of the webinar was the idea of “queen events,” which is Dr. Ellis’s preferred term over “queen problems.” He articulated that while some matters, like not having a queen or having one that is not laying eggs worth anything, are instantly troubling, there are other matters of greater importance that are often wrongly assessed at first glance. Dr. Ellis divvied up queen events into three levels of threat:

• Minimal Risk: Problems such as wax moths or momentary disturbances that seldom compromise the survival of the colony.
• Moderate Threat: Problems like restricted access to queens or supersedure events that can have major effects if not dealt with.
• Major Problem: Beekeepers face several immediate threats that require effective intervention, such as varroa mites, failing queens, and laying workers.
• Using this triage system, beekeepers can apply their responses in order of priority and ensure that the colonies remain healthy.

The Importance of Queen Quality

Queen quality matters, Dr. Ellis told us, if we want to talk about why some colonies succeed and others fail. The queen is the only fertile female in the colony, and she is the most important reproductive individual in the hive. Factors like inbreeding, poor mating, and age can cause the queen to fail, which in turn leads to reduced brood production and lower “hive productivity.” “A bad queen is as damaging as a major pest,” Dr. Ellis asserted. A failing queen is a major problem. Beekeepers need to assess queen performance regularly, he urged, and if necessary, replace that queen with a queen of better quality.

Practical Solutions for Requeening

Four main methods were described by Dr Ellis for dealing with queen problems:

1. Letting the Colony Requeen Itself: This method is cost-effective but carries risks such as delayed brood production and the potential for poor queen quality.
2. Bringing in New Genetics with Ripe Queen Cells: This method entails the introduction of new genetics; however, it necessitates very careful timing to ensure that the queen cell is successful in both mating and integrating into the colony. (#)
3. Introducing a Mated Queen: This approach is the quickest solution but also the costliest. It demands not just careful handling but also a fair bit of wits to make sure that the queen is accepted by the hive. (#)
4. Dr. Ellis championed this method as his favorite. Combining a queen-right nuc with a struggling colony allows for addressing both issues related to queen loss and the collateral damage that such a loss causes, namely reductions in brood production and worker populations.

Insights and Resources

The attendees were also introduced to Dr. Ellis’s extensive resources, including his video series, Beekeeping Academy, and online guides. These resources, available through the University of Florida’s Honeybee Lab, span a wide range of subjects, from re-queening techniques to basic colony management.

Interactive Q&A

The session concluded with a lively Q&A, where attendees sought clarification on topics like late-season supersedure and re-queening practices. Dr Ellis emphasised practical tips, such as using sugar syrup sprays to reduce aggression during colony integration, and shared insights from commercial beekeeping operations in the US.

Takeaways for Beekeepers

The webinar provided a wealth of actionable insights for beekeepers, including:

• Proactive Queen Management: Regularly assess the quality of queens in your colonies and replace them when signs of failing or poor performance emerge. Dr Ellis’s emphasis on triaging queen events provides a practical framework to categorise and address issues effectively.
• Requeening Strategies: Consider the method of requeening that best suits your apiary’s needs. For immediate results, introducing a mated queen can save critical time, while requeening with a nuc offers a comprehensive solution to address queen issues and collateral damage.
• Education and Resources: Take advantage of free resources, such as the Beekeeping Academy video series, online guides, and podcasts, to deepen your understanding of bee behaviour and best practices. These materials provide step-by-step instructions and visual demonstrations for managing hives effectively.
• Adapting Commercial Practices: Lessons from commercial beekeepers, such as combining colonies without newspapers or sugar sprays, can simplify workflows and improve efficiency without compromising colony health.
• Focus on Prevention: Addressing queen problems proactively reduces the risk of significant threats, such as colony collapse due to varroa mites or laying workers. Building and maintaining nucs can serve as an invaluable tool for long-term colony health.

The presentation given by Dr. Ellis highlighted how crucial it is to make strategic decisions and to be adaptable when keeping bees. Beekeepers can take the insights shared during the webinar and use them to become more resilient and productive in their operation.

To obtain further details, UK beekeepers can delve into Dr. Ellis’s materials on YouTube and keep up with the UF Honeybee Lab on various social media platforms. His devotion to disseminating information makes certain that beekeepers on a global scale can persist and prosper in the ancient art and science of beekeeping.

Related Resources

• Two Bees in a Podcast – Episodes that come out weekly and feature worldwide beekeeping wisdom: https://entnemdept.ufl.edu/honey-bee/podcast/
• The YouTube channel of the UF Honeybee Lab features more than 100 educational videos for beekeepers: https://www.youtube.com/@UFHoneyBeeLab1
• Guide to Nucleus Colonies – A comprehensive document on the use of nucleus colonies: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN869

In summary, Elaine Robinson said it best when she put it this way: “Jamie’s presentation highlighted not just the challenges, but the opportunities to improve our practices and better support our bees.”

(#) = Just a reminder that at Staincross Apiaries we believe in Sustainable Beekeeping working with local bees or bees that are suited to our local environment. Where Jamie talks about using ripe queen cells or mated queens, we would hope that people don’t import queens or use subspecies that aren’t indigenous.