Category: Bee Health & Diseases

A thorough August inspection covering varroa counts, queen quality, food stores, brood health, and equipment condition sets every hive up for a healthy winter.

Brown streaks at your hive entrance range from a normal winter inconvenience to a sign of nosema or fermented stores — here is how to tell the difference.

Deformed Wing Virus is the most damaging virus amplified by varroa mites — understanding how it spreads explains why late varroa treatment costs you your winter bees.

Knowing when your hive has lost its queen — versus simply not spotting her — is a critical skill; here are the definitive signs and your best next steps.

Wax moths thrive in weak hives and stored comb — learn to detect early infestation signs and protect your equipment with freezing, PDB, and Bt treatments.

Small hive beetles can destroy a weak colony fast — here are the in-hive traps, soil treatments, and colony management practices that actually work.

Chalkbrood is a fungal disease that mummifies bee larvae — learn to identify it, understand why it happens, and fix the underlying conditions.

Nosema is a gut pathogen that causes poor spring buildup and dysentery — here is how to test for it and what management options actually exist.

Learn the visual signs of American Foulbrood — from sunken cappings to the definitive ropiness test — and what to do if you find it.

A practical guide to monitoring varroa mite loads, choosing the right treatment method, and timing treatments to protect your winter bees.