Apiaries and Bees for Communities WorkShop
Beekeeping Bootcamp, Oxalic Acid Edition
I had the immense privilege of attending a Beekeeping Bootcamp today, held by Eliese Watson of ABC Bees, and I have to say I am blown away by how much information can be shared in one day.
ABC brought in a well known and respected researcher, Marco Pietropaoli from Italy to share with our community the best methods of Varroa mite treatment. Marco has been researching treatments for honeybees for the last 12 years, so brings a decade of expertise and passion to the field.
This day was an absolute knowledge fest, where we got to see in person how best to treat varroa mites, and prevent their spread. Our morning was spent in the bee yard at Highfield Regenerative Farm, where we got to search for queens, look at various stages of combs, search for mites (of which we got see one up close and personal), see frames full of drones, and even have a close encounter with a drone’s….parts. Many laughs were had as we went through each critical step of treatment, from caging the queen to dispensing the oxalic acid.
What was deeply memorable was how kind the bees are. Eliese had carefully selected over generations bees that were gentle, and it showed. As we handled the frames searching for queens and eggs, with our bare hands, it seemed to me that not a single one of these fuzzy ladies had any inclination toward harm. Rather they just continued their business, as workaholics tend to do. At the risk of sounding cheesy, it was pretty magical sitting amongst thousands of working honeybees, with some landing on us to say hello.
Our afternoon was spent eating and listening as Marco and Eliese each shared their depth of knowledge with the group. Several ‘oohs’ and ‘aahs’ were heard throughout the gathered beeple as more and more was shared. We were also made privy to some fascinating news about nosema, a disease in honeybees that is resistant to some treatments.
In mysticism it is said that bees represent the ability to accomplish impossible tasks if you set your mind to it, and today, being surrounded by bee people and educators, I feel much closer to saving our bees…what could feel better?
To read specifics about Marco Pietropaoli’s research you can visit this link where his findings are published: www.researchgate.net/profile/Marco-Pietropaoli-2
To find out more and to sign up for workshops, you can visit the ABC Bees website at: www.abcbees.ca
To learn more about the amazing Calgary treasure, Highfield Regenerative Farm, please visit: Farm | Highfield Regenerative Farm | Calgary (highfieldfarm.ca)
Bumblebee Rescue Update
Our girls are doing great! They are loving their special location and have continued business as usual. This is groundbreaking news because it means that now, in Alberta, we can safely rescue and relocate bumblebees without harming them. This is a fact only known by a few, so we need to spread the news!
Stay tuned to see how our girls are doing, as I will be updating when I can. Thank you everyone for your support.