![]() ![]() As Colonsay remains Varroa-free and no treatment has been required it is still possible to see Braula which has disappeared from most of the Scottish mainland. In addition to the honey crop around 100 free mated queens and 20 nucs are produced annually. Queen mating on cool Atlantic islands is problematic. However, always with the overarching view, that there will simply be no long term commerce without careful conservation. It is the primary species for beekeepers for pollination and honey production. These bees create colonies, which house thousands of bees. Western Honey Bee Western Honey Bee The Western honey bee (Apis mellifera) is a European honey bee. Colonsay’s disease free stocks play an important role supplying honeybees to those in the scientific community studying honeybee diseases and population genetics.Ĭolonsay’s Black Bees have been primarily kept and selected for commercial honey production. The queen and worker bumblebees have black with a yellow thorax, while the male has a yellow head and face. At the same time inbreeding has been avoided. ![]() There are exceptions of course, but these features should help you tell the difference between bees and wasps at first glance. They all have a thick, yellow collar around their heads, yellow stripes on their black bodies, and a white. Wasps have distinct black and bright yellow bands around their abdomens, while bees are more of a non-descript light brown or yellowish-brown color. Over the past 40 years the island’s 60 stocks have been carefully selected to improve the overall genetic makeup, particularly with regards to gentleness and productivity. Queen bumblebees look very similar to worker bees. During the 1940’ and 50’s, Joseph Tinsley bee inspector for the West of Scotland College of Agriculture used the island’s isolation to select and breed lines of Amm. Established during the 1970’s and 80’s from isolated Scottish stocks, its importance to genetic conservation was recognised by the Scottish Government, when they passed The Beekeeping (Colonsay and Oronsay) Order 2013.Ĭolonsay has had a long tradition of helping to conserve Scotland’s native Black Bees. The Hebridean islands of Colonsay and Oronsay have one of the few pure and isolated populations of Apis mellifera mellifera (Amm) in Europe. We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best.Andrew inspecting colony near the Strand, Colonsay. Hello, curious kids! Do you have a question you’d like an expert to answer? Ask an adult to send your question to Please tell us your name, age and the city where you live.Īnd since curiosity has no age limit – adults, let us know what you’re wondering, too. Planting native plants that provide pollen and nectar will aid these amazing insects, too. If you want to help wasps and bees, make sure your family doesn’t use pesticides in your yard. There are also fewer places for wasps and bees to live these days because the cities and farmland that serve humans occupy ever more of their habitat. Pesticides, which are chemicals used to kill pest insects, also kill necessary bugs like bees and wasps. ![]() A nuc (or nucleus) colony is an already thriving colony of bees with a mated, marked queen and five deep frames of honey, pollen, and brood. Watch this video to learn how to install a package of bees. Unfortunately, these useful insects are in decline worldwide. Betterbee packages contain three pounds of loose bees with feed, and a mated, queen in a separate queen cage. And by hunting, wasps help keep down populations of pests like caterpillars and flies. Bees pollinate many flowers, including crops people eat, such as apples and almonds. Though many people fear bees and wasps because they can sting, both are important for a healthy planet. One female will lay her eggs and bring her offspring food, raising them until adulthood. Most bees and wasps, however, are solitary insects who live alone. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |