Identifying and Treating Varroa

Three things I found interesting about this video on identyifing and treating varroa was that varroa mites are the number one killer of honey bees on the planet. Also, they live on the outside of the honey bee and they're a natural parasite from an asian honey bee and are now found in most countries around the world. Two things I will look for next time I am in the apiary is to look for varroa mites and see if you can identify if a bee has mites by it's activity. One question I have is how do you kill of mites?

Identifying Nosema

Three things I found interesting were that nosema only infects adult bees, also the infection begins when bees ingest nosema spores and lastly, when the spore reaches the bee's gut, it explosively uncoils a long straw-like polar filament. The filament penetrates outer gut cells and, in the process infects them. Two things I will look for next time i'm in the apiary is if there is any physical sign that a bee is infected with nosema and what signs they may show. One question I have is what can be done to control the spread of nosema?

Common Bee Diseases

Three things I found interesting about this website on Common Bee Diseases was that Bacillus larvae can be found in every state in the U.S. and is spread by robbing bees and poor beekeeping practices. It can be identified from a shot gun appearance of the capped brood.  The capping over the brood will be sunken and some will have holes.  Also, Ascosphaera apis is now found throughout the United States and is a disease of stress in the early spring to early summer but severe cases can be found in the comb later in the year. Two things I will look for next time i'm in the apiary is if there are any signs of these diseases and how these diseases are identified. One question I have is what can you do you cure bee diseases?

A Compost Success Story

Three things I found interesting about this article where that kids were able to create such an efficient system, also that it was so succesful but didn't require much work and that the garden has grown rapidly over the years. Two things I will look for next time i'm in the garden I will look for improvements that can be done and check to see how efficient everything is. One question I have is how can we improve our school garden?

Worm Composting

Three things I found interesting about worm composting are that compost allows us to return badly needed organic matter to the soil, also that the great advantage of worm composting is that this can be done indoors and outdoors, thus allowing year round composting and lastly, that the worms and micro-organisms will eventually convert the entire contents into rich compost. Two things I will look for next time I am in the garden is if there are in worms in the soil and what they do to the soil. One question I have is how does worm composting compare to Bokashi compost?

Leaf Mold

Three things I found interesting about this video on Leaf Mold is leaf mold takes up to a year to decompose but is an effective way to get rid of fallen leaves. Waxy leaves are not ideal to use because they take longer to decompose. Pine needles create an acid compost. Two things I will look for next time I am in the garden is for fallen leaves to use to make leaf mold and which leaves look best to use. One question I have is, how does leaf mold differ from regular organic matter compost?

Bokashi Fermentation

The three most interesting things I read on the website about Bokashi Fermentation is that Bokashi is a type of compost that is easy and odour-free and can be done with a bucket and a lid. Also, Bokashi is interesting because you can put any type of food waste in the bins. Lastly, Bokashi is intereting because Bokashi buckets have spouts at the bottom to drain the liquid that accumulates at the bottom and the liquid can be used as a plant fertilizer. Next time I am in the garden I will look for what type of composter the school has and how it compares to a Bokashi. One question I have is, which composter is the most simple to use?