Posts by Nick Mawby
November 2026 BIBBA Monthly
Row concave Shape Decorative svg added to bottom BIBBA Monthly Newsletter November 2026 CONTENTS Hangry BeesCollapse From the BIBBA Scientific Committee — Paul Verrier Pollen dearth impacts honey bee behaviour and physiology A recent paper by Elizabeth M. Walsh et al. (2026) looked at how nutritional protein deficiency affected a honey bee colony. A pollen…
Read MoreWater Dynamics
From the BIBBA Scientific Committee — Paul Verrier Pierre Le Bivic et al. (2026) published an article in the Journal of Insect Physiology that described the findings of an experiment where they set out to understand the water utilisation of a honey bee colony in the higher temperatures which we seem to be having to…
Read MoreHangry Bees
From the BIBBA Scientific Committee — Paul Verrier Pollen dearth impacts honey bee behaviour and physiology A recent paper by Elizabeth M. Walsh et al. (2026) looked at how nutritional protein deficiency affected a honey bee colony. A pollen dearth was simulated in one half of their experimental colonies by robbing foragers of their pollen…
Read MoreOctober 2026 BIBBA Monthly
Row concave Shape Decorative svg added to bottom BIBBA Monthly Newsletter October 2026 CONTENTS Varroa Resistance in Australia? Old Comb, New Potential: Why Regular Comb Replacement Matters Varroa Resistance in Australia? Exoskeletons in Australia. Photo: Jim Marchment – Bonny Hills – Mid North Coast, NSW, Australia. 25th September 2026. I have been having several interactions with an…
Read MoreOld Comb, New Potential: Why Regular Comb Replacement Matters
From the BIBBA Scientific Committee — Karl Colyer and Paul Verrier What scientific research tells us about comb age, colony performance and the practical benefits of replacing old brood comb. For many beekeepers, replacing old brood comb is one of those jobs that is easy to postpone. If the comb is still intact, the bees…
Read MoreAugust 2026 BIBBA Monthly
- Treat for Varroa in August?
- The Queen Excluder: More Than a Honey-Harvesting Tool
- Seasonal Nectar Gaps in Farmland Landscapes
- A laying-worker colony doesn’t have to be a lost colony
Seasonal Nectar Gaps in Farmland Landscapes
Paper Review: Seasonal Nectar Gaps in Farmland Landscapes Timberlake et al. (2019) Phenology of farmland floral resources reveals seasonal gaps in nectar availability for bumblebees This paper is a straightforward observational study examining the seasonal availability of nectar sugars across farmland habitats in North Somerset. Although the work focuses on bumblebees, many of the findings…
Read MoreVarroa Resistance: It Comes from the Queen
For those involved in bee improvement and breeding, a key question has always been:
Do bees learn Varroa-resistant behaviour from each other, or is it inherited?
The researchers showed that Varroa resistance is passed on through the queen and her offspring and not by workers learning from each other.
This means:
- Resistance is genetic, not taught
- Requeening is sufficient to change colony behaviour
- There is no need to transfer “experienced” workers
May 2026 BIBBA Monthly
- Resilience in the Face of Winter Losses
- Bee Rescues – getting people out of a ‘sticky’ situation
- Varroa resistance – It Comes From the Queen
From Hive to Test Tube
A recent UK study has shown something quite remarkable: your honey can reveal hidden disease in your colony before you see any symptoms.
Read More