Fascinating paper studying the distances from which bees are able to return to their nest & what the navigation method is

This paper basically describes how different bees analyse humans as landmarks when they stand in the vicinity of the bee. Fascinating reading, especially when you see bees actually doing it.

A paper on the visual and odour cues used by bees

Bumblebee nests are difficult to find, hampering ecological studies. Effective population size of bumblebees is determined by nest density, so the ability to quantify nest density would greatly aid conservation work. We describe the training and testing....

We discovered that bumble-bees can use a combination of colour and spatial relationships in deciding which colour of flower to forage from. We also discovered that science is cool and fun because you get to do stuff that no one has ever done before.

This paper describes a comparison of Native Bufftail reproductive success at producing Queens; finding the "commercial" bee more successful than the "wild" bees.

Three methods were used to induce the following Bombus species to start colonies in captivity: B. nevadensis, B. rufocinctus, B. borealis, B. fervidus, B. terricola, B. perplexus, B. ternarius, B. vagans.

Most social insect species are able to regulate the temperature within their nests. In this review, we examine the variety of mechanisms that social insect species have evolved to regulate temperature. We divide these mechanisms into two broad categories

Bumblebee colour patterns can be highly variable within species, but are often closely similar among species. The study takes a quantitative approach to survey bumblebee colour patterns in order to address some of the most basic questions concerning...

Bumblebees' distinctive bright yellow and black stripes may not be what keeps them safe from their enemies, scientists say. A UK study has shown that other aspects of bees' behaviour may matter more than the classic bee colour to keep predators away.

In a previous issue of Apis UK in 2005, we reported on some research that showed that bees could recognise human faces but now in some new research a French scientists believes that this may not be the whole of the story.

Don't be too proud of never forgetting a face: It turns out even a humble bumblebee can distinguish and recall different human faces, say researchers who have conducted experiments on the surprisingly canny insects.

1. The ecological conditions under which bumblebees hibernate have been investigated and differences noted in the type of site chosen for overwintering by certain species. Bombus lapidarius (L.), B. hortorum (L.) and Psithyrus Lepeletier species typically

Bumblebees were trained in biologically realistic sensorimotor tasks to test how learnt information from more than a single task is organised in memory...

AKA - do bees have feelings?

worker bees & ants naturally care for their sibling brood around the clock with no apparent ill effects. Here, we tested whether bumble-bee queens that care alone for their first batch of offspring are also capable of a similar chronobiological plasticity

Dipping tongues allow bees to drink the sweetest nectar. US mathematicians have worked out why the flowers pollinated by bees have sweeter nectar than those visited by butterflies. When it comes to drinking nectar, the most important factor is whether...

Scientists have found that bumblebees learn from their "near-death" encounters with crab spiders and adapt their future foraging strategies. They watched real bees in an artificial meadow - containing yellow "flowers" and robotic crab spiders.

Insects use visual estimates of flight speed for a variety of behaviors, including visual navigation, odometry, grazing landings and flight speed control, but the neuronal mechanisms underlying speed detection remain unknown.

interactive identification guide by Natural History Museum

Wikipedia's page that helps you identify pollen based on colour

Produced in conjunction with the invertebrate conservation charity Buglife, this much requested new 8-page chart shows 28 species of bee, most of which can commonly be seen flying in domestic gardens.

handy iPhone app with colour images & ID for insects, plants and bees around the garden. Main app is free with purchasable modules (including bees)

spectacular Bumblebee & Honey Bee videos

Basically, ready-made active bumblebee nests; mainly aimed at farmers and researchers

Founded in 1987, BCP Certis, formerly Biological Crop Protection Ltd, provides a broad range of technologies, crop protection solutions and highly qualified technical support to growers of speciality crops in ten European countries, plus further a field

Dragonfli ltd is committed to source, evaluate and provide the most effective, safe and natural products for gardeners and growers, utilising the finest of natures beneficial insects, plant defences and strengtheners

Making this simple nest will encourage bumblebees to nest safely your garden. Many species nest underground in old mouse or vole burrows - which this project mimics.

The purpose of the Union is to promote and encourage the study of social insects and other social organisms in the broadest sense. Both research and the dissemination of knowledge about social insects and other social organisms through...

you tube video from a honey beekeeper all about wax moths

video of the examination of our 1st Koppert nest

A DIY solution with a paintbrush for trying to prevent wax moth invasion