Shaw's Beekeeping & Honey

02/25/2018

Check this out !!! Amazing !!!!

The cedar-and-glass hives let you watch busy bees from the comfort of your living room.

02/24/2018

Meet the Potter Wasp (Eumenes fraternus). The Potter Wasp is found in the Eastern United States and Canada. One thing I found interesting about the Potter Wasp is that the female builds a miniature pot that is made out of mud and lays a egg inside it then places a caterpillar inside the pot for the larvae to feed on. The adults feed on nectar. The second photo here is of the Potter Wasps nests.

02/23/2018

Check this out!!!

By Emily Hughes BU News Service She arrives encased in a small wooden box about the size of a matchbook. It takes her three days to chew through the sugary plug that replaces the box’s sixth wall. She twists through the opening and suddenly breaks free. This moment is always the most tense for bee...

02/20/2018

Meet the Bald Faced Hornet (Dolichovespula maculata). Length-
1/2 to 5/8 inches long. Queen Length- 3/4 inches long. The Bald Faced Hornet is a species of yellowjacket wasp, not a true hornet. The Bald Faced Hornet is found in Southern Canada, and much of the United States. The species was first described by Carl Linnaeus (The father of modern taxonomy) in 1763. The Bald Faced Hornet gets its name from the black and white colors on the body. These are social insects that live in colonies that may contain between 100 to as many as 700 members! They build paper nests at least 3 or more feet off of the ground. The nests can be found in trees, shrubs, utility poles, houses, sheds, and other structures. The nests can be 14 inches in diameter and more than 2 feet long! WARNING: Bald Faced Hornets are extremely aggressive and will attack anyone or anything that invades their area. They have smooth stingers so they are able to sting repeatedly. The venom causes the stings to hurt, itch, and swell for about 24 hours.

02/09/2018

Meet the Eastern Yellowjacket (Vespula maculifrons). This species of wasp is found in Eastern North America. This social yellowjacket species can be found living in colonies numbering thousands! They will defend their nest very aggressively and they can give very painful stings! Diet is invertebrates, nectar, and honeydew. The Eastern Yellowjacket nest is located underground just 2 inches under the soil.

02/08/2018

Meet Wallace's Giant Bee (Megachile pluto). This is the largest bee species. British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist, and biologist, Alfred Russel Wallace originally described this species in 1858. The species was believed to be extinct until its rediscovery in 1981. The females can have a wingspan of 2 1/2 inches!

02/07/2018

It's Official !!!! Glad to be a member of the Maine State Beekeepers Association !!!!!!!

02/01/2018

Meet the Bellflower Resin Bee (Megachile campanulae). Described in 1903, these bees are endemic to North America. This species is known for being the first to use synthetic materials for making nests! This solitary bee is a pollinator.

01/26/2018

Meet the Western Leafcutting Bee (Megachile perihirta). This species of bee is native to North America. These bees can be found in orchards and meadows. This solitary species is a pollinator.

01/25/2018

Meet the Alfalfa Leafcutter Bee (Megachile rotundata). Leafcutter bees are named for their habit of cutting off leaves to line the walls of their nest with. This European Bee has been introduced to other parts of the world. This peaceful species is solitary and is a pollinator.

01/23/2018

Meet (Halictus rubicundus). This species of sweat bee is found throughout the Northern Hemisphere. These sweat bees are social in warmer parts of their range but are solitary in the colder parts of their range. (Halictus rubicundus) is known as a pollinator species.

01/22/2018

Check this out !!!

Feral honeybees pose a danger to native bees and the ecosystems that depend on them

01/20/2018

Check this out!!!!

The case has never been fully closed for colony collapse disorder, and now bees face bigger problems.

01/20/2018

BBC News

01/19/2018

Here is what my bottles of honey will look like!!! I will have the appropriate labels on the bottles too! Each bottle will have a label that can be used as a sticker!

01/19/2018

Meet Lasioglossum leucozonium. This species of sweat bee is found in North America, Europe, Asia, and parts of Northern Africa. This solitary bee is a pollinator species.

01/18/2018

TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE !!!!!!!!

01/18/2018

For the 2018 season, I will be keeping Russian Honeybees in the Town of Fryeburg. I am excited for this opportunity to provide all-natural honey!!!!

01/09/2018

ASU honey bee lab works to save the vital insects

Check this out !!!!

Tucked away in a dirt lot at the southern edge of Arizona State University’s Polytechnic Campus in Mesa, the Honey Bee Research Lab is home to wide-ranging studies into the

12/28/2017

Meet Lasioglossum zephyrum. This species of sweat bee is found in the United States and Canada. Lasioglossum zephyrum is known as a eusocial bee (displaying both solitary and eusocial behaviors). This sweat bee nests underground. Each nest can contain 20 individuals. This species is known as a pollinator.

12/28/2017

How honey bee gut bacteria help to digest their pollen-rich diet

Very interesting article !!! check it out !!

The honey bee gut is colonized by specialized bacteria that help digest components of the floral pollen diet and produce molecules that likely promote bee health. Researchers have now uncovered which bacterial species perform which specific digestive functions in the bee gut.

12/04/2017

Meet (Lasioglossum vierecki). This species is found in the family Halictidae, also known as the sweat bees. Sweat bees are named for their attraction to sweat in hot weather, which they try to drink. I read that as Western Honeybee populations decline, some farmers are actually trying to attract sweat bees to take their place. This particular species is found in the Eastern United States. Lasioglossum vierecki is known as a sand specialist bee because they only nest in sand or visit plants that are restricted to sand. This species is solitary and a pollinator.

11/13/2017

Utah Professor Hopes Robotic Hives Will Help Honeybees

Interesting.

As a beekeeper, Vladimir Kulyukin is worried about the plight of the honeybee.

11/01/2017

Honeybee research helping blueberry farmers in Skagit County

Check this out!

MOUNT VERNON — The European honeybees used by beekeepers aren't very good at pollinating blueberries.

10/31/2017

Reserved a spot for ordering Russian Bees for next season !!!! WOHOO !!!

10/16/2017

Meet (Leioproctus fulvescens). This species of plasterer bee is native to the South Island of New Zealand. (Leioproctus fulvescens) nest underground in a variety of soil types, including beach sand, salt flats, dry river banks, clay, and more. This solitary species is a pollinator.

10/08/2017

Amy Charles took this photo of a honeybee at the Fryeburg Fair today !!

10/08/2017

It is the last day of the Fryeburg Fair so be sure to check out the many beekeeping vendors located throughout the Fairgrounds!!

10/06/2017

Check out this observation hive at the Fryeburg Fair Garden Center. Be sure to see the marked queen!!!

10/06/2017

I'm excited to announce that I will be having a display at the Agriculture Exhibition Center at the 2018 Fryeburg Fair of my beekeeping business !!!!

10/05/2017

Got some honeycomb!!!!! This honey tastes so good !!!! The rewards of keeping bees !!!

10/02/2017

Be sure to visit Swan's Honey in the Specialty Foods building at the Fryeburg Fair! Great setup they have there!

10/01/2017

Check out the honeybees in this observation hive at the Garden Center at the Fryeburg Fair this morning!

10/01/2017

Be sure to check out this Beekeeping exhibit at the Fryeburg Fair Garden Center !!! I got to meet one of the members and learned a lot from them !!!

09/30/2017

Killer Asian hornet spotted near popular Devon beach resort sparking fears for honey bee populatio

Killer Asian hornet spotted near popular Devon beach resort sparking fears for honey bee populatio

A DEADLY Asian hornet has been spotted by a popular beach in Devon. The sighting of the insect which preys on local honeybees has been confirmed by the National Bee Unit. It was seen at an apiary n…