Fighting on the landing board, dead bees, frantic traffic at a weak hive. Robbing. How to recognize it, the fastest ways to shut it down, and why the hive being robbed is probably handing its mites to every colony you own.
No eggs, a loud roar, cranky bees. Maybe queenless. Maybe not. The signs, the timeline, the test frame that settles it, how to fix laying workers, and the mite collapse that gets misdiagnosed as a bad queen every fall.
Nosema in Honey Bees: Symptoms, Why Dysentery Isn't Diagnosis, and What the Research Actually Says
Brown streaks on the front of the hive and everyone says 'nosema.' Usually it isn't. What Nosema ceranae and apis actually do, how to diagnose them, where fumagillin stands, and what a 3,500-colony study found about nosema versus mites.
Winter Bees: What They Are, When They're Raised, and Why Colonies Die in January
A colony that looked perfect in October and was dead by February didn't freeze or starve. Its winter bees were damaged as pupae in August. What winter bees are, why they're different, and the one treatment window that decides it.
Small Hive Beetle: Identification, Life Cycle, Traps, and Why Strong Colonies Don't Get Slimed
A few beetles are normal. A slimed-out hive is not. What small hive beetles look like, how they reproduce, the traps that work, and why beetle damage almost always starts with a weak, mite-stressed colony.
Wax Moths in Beehives: Identification, Life Cycle, and How to Protect Your Comb
Webbing, tunnels and frass across your comb. Wax moths didn't kill the colony; they moved in after something else did. How to identify them, protect stored comb, and fix the real cause.
How to Do a Mite Wash: The 5-Minute Test That Saves Colonies
Half a cup of nurse bees, 60 seconds of shaking, one number that tells you whether to treat. The alcohol wash step by step, with thresholds by season.
Why Did My Bees Abscond? How to Tell If They Left or If Mites Killed Them
An empty hive with no pile of dead bees looks like they left. Usually they didn't. How to tell true absconding from a varroa collapse, and what to do next.
Varroa Mites on Bees: What They Look Like, How They Live, and the Signs You'll Miss
A reddish-brown dot the size of a pinhead, hiding where you can't see it. What varroa mites look like, how their life cycle works, and why the only early warning is a wash.