Free Online Resources
by Anita Deeley at BeverlyBees.com
Here are some important free online resources from around the web that will help beekeepers of all levels improve their craft and expand their knowledge. I am updating this list all the time so check back often for more great bee links!
Colony Collapse Disorder
Why Bees Are Disappearing – Ted Talk by Bee Researcher Marla Spivak
Colony Collapse Have We Seen This Before? – A paper by Robin Underwood and Dennis vanEngelsdorp documenting bee declines throughout history.
Diseases and Pests of Honey Bees
- Coloss Bee Book 2 – Descriptions of honeybee pests and pathogens
- Bee Health
- Bees And Their Maladies
- Diagnosis of Honeybee Diseases
- Diseases Of Honey Bees
Varroa Mites
Life Cycle Of The Honey Bee And Varroa Mite
- Mites, Insects And Diseases Of Honeybees
- Parasitic Mite Syndrome (PMS)
- Powdered Sugar Roll For Varroa Mites
- Varroa Mite Reproductive Biology
Ghosts in the Hive – Varroa’s life cycle inside a Honey Bee Colony by Ricarda Kather
American Foulbrood
Identifying American Foulbrood
European Foulbrood
Nosema
- Effects of Nosema on Honey Bee Behavior and Physiology – Differences between the two strains of nosema and their effects on bees.
- Nosema Apis in Honey Bees – What is Nosema, how to diagnose and how to clean up infected comb.
- Nosema Ceranae – The Inside Story – Nosema Ceranae in honey bees and how to diagnose it and clean up after it.
- Nosema Ceranae – Effectiveness of 3 different methods – irradiation, heat, acetic acid, and their ability to disinfect comb
- Nosema Apis and Nosema Ceranae – A comparative study of Nosema Apis and Nosema Ceranae
- How to Test For Nosema Spores – An instructional PDF
- Pesticides and Nosema – Pesticides from crop pollination and certain miticides make bees more susceptible to nosema.
Wax Moth
Lesser Wax Moth Larvae Can Survive Freezing
Bee Testing Labs
- Beltsville Bee Lab In Maryland – Free testing for bee diseases and pests such as Mites, AFB, EFB, Nosema. Does not test for viruses or pesticides.
- Columbia Food Lab – Tests for some pesticides.
- Bee Informed Partnership – Tests bees for viruses and pollen samples for 170 pesticides. They also have a great website with lots of bee health information.
Pesticides and Bees
- Pollinator Stewardship Council – Report a bee kill and other great info on pollinators and pesticides.
- Backyard Pesticides Containing Neonicotinoids
- Neonicotinoids Used in Backyard Gardens May Fuel Bee Die Off
- Pesticide Toxicity to Bees
- Pesticide Stewardship
- Pesticides And Bees
- Protecting Honey Bees From Pesticides
- Protecting Honeybees From Pesticides
- Protecting Honeybees From Pesticides Webinar
- Mosquito Control and the Beekeeper – Advice on how to interact with mosquito control boards to better protect honey bees.
Bee Forage
- Crops Pollinated By Bees
- North American Nectar Sources for Honeybees
- Pollen Sources for Honeybees
- Sources of Bee Safe Seeds – A list of places that sell organic and untreated seeds. Check this list out if you are planting for bees.
- Sources of Bee Safe Plants – A list of places that sell organic and untreated plants. Check this list out if you are planting for bees.
Great Bee Associations/Organizations
- Ohio State University Beelab – Many beekeeping webinars, classes and handouts.
- Maine Beekeepers Association
- Ohio State Beekeepers Beekeeping Class
- Southeastern Indiana Beekeeper’s Association
- Mid Atlantic Apiculture Research and Extension Consortium – Lots of educational resources here on honey bee biology, beginning beekeeping and more.
- Pollinator Partnership – Protecting pollinator health
Feeding Bees
Honey Bee Biology
Honey Bee Genetics – Dr. Deb Delaney, discusses her genetic testing research on feral and managed colonies.
- Managed Pollinator CAP – Many links to current bee research and great articles on Bee Biology and Bee Health.
- Internal Honeybee Anatomy
- Bee Tribes of the World
- The Importance of Honeybees
- Amazing Facts About Bees
- Bees A Honey of an Idea – A great interactive educational website on bees. Perfect for kids and beginners!
Inside A Hive Before Just Before It Swarms – A short video showing the behavior of bees inside a hive prior to swarming.
Hive Management
How To Mark a Queen with Mike Palmer
Dean Stiglitz author of the The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Beekeeping
The Sustainable Apiary – A talk by Bee Expert Mike Palmer
Beekeeper Mike Palmer talks about Keeping Bees in Frozen North America
Wintering Bees Indoors – Publications on indoor wintering of bee colonies.
How To Install Packages In A Top Bar Hive – Wyatt Mangum’s videos explaining how to install package bees into a top bar hive.
Other
- Relocating Bumble Bee Nests
- The Hive And The Honeybee
- Value Added Products From Beekeeping
- How To Build A Top Bar Hive
- Beekeeping For All – Warre Hives
- Beekeeper’s Library – A collection of beekeeping resources.
- Beekeeping Videos – A collection of beekeeping videos.
- What is Crystallized Honey? – An in depth description of crystallized honey.
- Honey Converter Calculator
Helpful Bee Links
- AMERICAN FOULBROOD OF HONEY BEES
- Bee Book 2
- Bee Health
- Bee Lab In Maryland
- Bee Tribes of the World
- Bee Videos
- Beekeeping For All – Warre Hives
- Bees And Their Maladies
- Colony Collapse – Have We Seen This Before?
- Columbia Food Lab
- Crops Pollinated By Bees
- Diagnosis of Honeybee Diseases
- Diseases Of Honey Bees
- European Foulbrood Identification
- European Foulbrood In Honey Bees
- How To Build A Top Bar Hive
- Identifying American Foulbrood
- Internal Honeybee Anatomy
- Life Cycle Of The Honeybee And Varroa Mite
- Maine Beekeepers Association
- Mites, Insects And Diseases Of Honeybees
- North American Nectar Sources for Honeybees
- Nosema Ceranae – The Inside Story
- Ohio State Beekeepers Beekeeping Class
- Parasitic Mite Syndrome (PMS)
- Pesticide Stewardship
- Pesticides And Bees
- Pollen Sources for Honeybees
- Powdered Sugar Roll For Varroa Mites
- Protecting Honey Bees From Pesticides
- Protecting Honeybees From Pesticides
- Protecting Honeybees From Pesticides Webinar
- Southeastern Indiana Beekeeper’s Association
- Sugar Syrup / Candy Recipes
- Sustainable Beekeeping Part 1
- Sustainable Beekeeping Part 2
- The Beekeeper’s Library
- The Hive And The Honeybee
- The Importance of Honeybees
- Value Added Products From Beekeeping
- Varroa Mite Reproductive Biology
Know a great free online bee resource you’d like to see here? Send me an email at beverlybees@gmail.com and I’ll take a look at it.