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