BroodMinder is a wireless temperature and humidity monitor for beehives that uses Bluetooth low energy technology to transmit data to a mobile device or tablet. It is compatible with both iOS and Android. It logs and stores hive data every hour and is designed to run for two years on a replaceable coin battery. The central idea is twofold. One, that as you Winter your hives when you see a dramatic drop in temperature or rise in humidity you can take action to save your hive, and two, through a data sharing forum we will be able to gather a large quantity of diverse real-world data. This data provides us with an opportunity to develop strategies for coping with hive distress over Winter. Right now the prevalent strategy is prepare for Winter, and then hope that the girls will be there when you look in Spring. Hope is not a strategy. We believe that if we measure and understand our overwintering hives better we will improve outcomes.
BroodMinder was started by Rich Morris, a hobby beekeeper from Stoughton, Wisconsin. Rich has been keeping bees for eight years. He is not a bee researcher by any stretch of the imagination. However he has worked in ultrasound research and development for many years (20+ patents) and has been deeply involved in both high and low volume product development. A core belief of BroodMinder is that data of few parameters from many sources is more valuable than data of many parameters from few sources and stands a chance of having a major impact on the apiary community.
The BroodMinder is currently being sold for $60 on our Indigogo site igg.me/at/BroodMinder. Please visit http://broodminder.com/ for more information.
BetaTec Hop Products announces that the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has registered HopGuard® II, a new biochemical miticide that combats Varroa mites in beehives. This registration covers all U.S. states. It is the result of rigorous examination of HopGuard® II and demonstrates that it should not cause adverse effects to health or the environment when used according to label instructions. To control mites, the product is applied in beehives via cardboard strips. HopGuard® II is exclusively distributed in the USA by Mann Lake, Ltd: www.mannlakeltd.com.
HopGuard® II also provides beekeepers another option to avoid the development of resistance toward other products. Rotating products to combat Varroa mites is an important tactic to prevent resistance development and to maintain the usefulness of individual pesticides.
BetaTec Hop Products is the application arm of the Barth-Haas Group, the oldest and largest hops company in the world. As part of the Barth-Haas Group, BetaTec Hop Products draws on over 200 years of hop experience. It’s vertically integrated operations include the growing, harvesting, processing, marketing, distribution and sales of hops products.
For information about BetaTec and our range of hop products, contact: BetaTec Hop Products, info@betatechopproducts.com; www.betatechopproducts.com.
Farming For The Landless. New Perspectives On The Cultivation Of Our Honeybee. By Sarah Waring. Published by Platin Press. ISBN 978-0-9569404-6-9. 5” x 8”, 195 pages, B&W, soft cover. Available at book stores and online at www.farmingforthelandless.com.
Sarah has divided her book into sections – First, Cultivation, that is raising bees, and pesticide issues, especially the neonicotinoids in several countries in Europe. The discussion of how several countries in Europe, especially Germany and France studied, and then banned these chemicals was enlightening however, as she related a timeline that should have been instrumental in avoiding the planting dust issues we discovered here. This book is getting attention because of this chapter, but the remaining chapters are just as useful. She moves on to other countries in Europe looking at genetic diversity and purity, Carniolan bees and sustainability, then moving next to northern Sweden, where winter is eight months long and climate change is already an issue. Finally, Conservation. Urban beekeeping. Reconnecting with nature within the city. There is an enormous amount of information in this small book, as John Phipps says. He’s right.
