40 : Book Reviews
Splits and Varroa: An Introduction to Splitting Hives as Part of Varroa Control William Hesbach
This 40-page booklet is an
introduction to splitting hives as part of varroa control procedures under a method of integrated pest management (IPM). The author is a commercial honey producer who is adopting a different approach to controlling this pest. William Hesbach hails from Cheshire, Connecticut, USA. He runs a backyard beekeeping business with considerable success. Such beekeepers are well worth listening to as, if they are making a living from their bees, they surely have a real story to tell. The author points out that
there are a growing number of beekeepers who are seeking new and alternative treatments to combat varroa and its associated viruses. He ploughs an interesting furrow by splitting the colony at various times to frustrate the mite’s own reproductive cycle. The basis of the system is to split the colony in order to halt the production of bee larvae on a temporary basis, thus denying the varroa mites the ability to reproduce as they require brood in order to do so. Many different techniques are outlined.
The author describes a series of manipulative alternatives
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that include ‘walkaway splits’ and ‘swarm breaks’ in his very pragmatic approach to this interesting method of IPM. I recall, some 20 years ago, Dr Stephen Martin explaining the sophistication of the life cycle of the varroa mite which protects it pretty well, in that the honey bees’ defensive armoury is about as effectual as a bow and arrow against a Centurion battle tank.
This book is well written, with both colour and black and white photographs. There are two excellent appendices accompanied with references. It is well composed and gives an excellent treatise of how to deal with this pernicious pest. The only issue (as I see it) is that the method is fairly labour intensive with the need to undertake regular brood nest examinations. With the vagaries of the British weather, this is often not that easy. Having said that, with the limited number of chemical treatments available to beekeepers, I commend this booklet to all who are keen to use alternative methods to control Varroa destructor. Michael Badger, MBE Published by Northern Bee Books, 2016. 40 pages (paperback). £9.95. ISBN: 978–1–908904–86-7.
If Bees Are Few: A Hive of Bee Poems James P Lenfestey, editor The title of this anthology is taken from a short poem (on page 49) by Emily Dickinson. The contents range over 2500 years of poetry, up to the twenty-fi rst century. The book’s production was prompted by the perceived diffi cult situation which surrounds bees of all kinds. Our own Poet Laureate, Carol Ann Duffy, even writes a poem which mentions neonicotinoids. There are poems on workers, swarms and queens. All of them are thought provoking. In fact, there are more poems about bees than I realised. Sadly, in my experience, the majority of beekeepers are not poetry lovers but, for those of you who are, this anthology has a lot to
Apimondia Gold Medal for Popular Beekeeping Journals, 2007, 2013 and 2015
Beekeeping on the Island of Andros: An ethnographic approach George Speis
While it would appear this book has little relevance to the UK beekeeper, it will be of interest to those who are interested in the evolution of different types of beekeeping and hives. It is a very detailed ethnographical survey of beekeeping on a Greek island, recording customs and habits before they are lost in the mists of time.
Anyone interested in skep beekeeping will be fascinated by the different methods used to weave and protect these traditional hives. Those who have been to eastern Europe will relate the bee houses there to the Greek ‘cupboard’ hives. Here you will learn about the traditions for catching swarms, managing colonies and dealing with pests. The book also covers bee forage, bee products and their use. Caroline Wentworth Published by the Eva Crane Trust, 2016. 182 pages. €20 post paid from
kaireios@otenet.gr ISBN:978-960-7709-36-3.
offer. It is well worth buying. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be donated to support research at the Bee Lab run by Dr Marla Spivak at the University of Minnesota. Adrian Waring, NDB
Published by the University of Minnesota Press, 2016. 300 pages (hardback). £18.95. ISBN: 978-0-8166-9806-6.
September 2016 Vol 98 No 9
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