Beehive Add-On Offers Multiple Benefits

Beehive Add-On Offers Multiple Benefits FARM HOME Miscellaneous ProtectaBEE is saving bees The multi-cone-shaped device fits over a hive entrance to keep out honey thieves and control bee pests ProtectaBEE was developed by Best For Bees an Ontario company that does field work for honeybee researchers “We were hired by the University of Guelph to develop a way to use bees to deliver a natural fungicide to protect crops ” says Dr Erica Shelley Best For Bees “As I worked on it with Dr Peter Kevan with the university we could see it might be used to improve health in the hive as well ” They knew bees will climb out through the wide end of a cone but not in through the narrow end ProtectaBEE consists of eight cones four pointed into the hive entrance and four pointed outward for bee exit It also has drawers in front of the cones These can be filled with a powder that the bees pick up on their legs As incoming bees travel throughout the hive they leave the powder behind Bees leaving the hive pick up the powder and carry it to the flowers of the crops they visit Tracheal mites are a devastating pest to honeybees Controlling them normally requires opening hives and treating the entire hive with a miticide It’s invasive and throws off egg laying by the queen It also takes time and labor on the part of the beekeeper and can allow another pest hive beetles to enter Bad weather can also delay treatment ProtectaBEE eliminates those problems “We collaborated with researchers at Washington State University ” says Shelley “They have a fungus that will grow inside the hive where it is warm and humid and control mites If you simply place the dry powder in the hive the worker bees will remove it ” Shelley and Kevan demonstrated the potential effectiveness of using the bees with fluorescent powder It was spread evenly throughout the hive Then they tried a powdered antibiotic and later the fungi Shelley says they also found the cones deter honey stealing wasps opossums skunks and raccoons Beekeepers report the cones also protect the bees from the rain and wind ProtectaBEE is made from bee-friendly UV and weather-resistant plastic Best For Bees has priced the device at $59 each or an eight pack for $320 Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Best For Bees 758 Union St Kitchener Ontario Canada N2H 6J1 ph 226-220-2863; info@bestforbees com; www bestforbees com

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.