Tag: honey bee

Swarming: The Natural Reproductive Process of a Honey Bee Colony

by Anthony Rodriguez
May 15, 2026

Honey bees, one of the world's most prolific species of pollinators, are incredibly important for food production. However, their swarming behavior can often be misunderstood and cause concern among homeowners and the general public. It's essential ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Clubs & Volunteers, Events, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Livestock, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Wildlife
Tags: Agriculture, Bee, Bee Info, Beekeeping, Bees, Colonies, Colony, Hive, Hives, Honey, Honey Bee, Livestock, Nectar, Organism, Pollen, Pollinators, Reproduction, Spring, Swarm, Swarming, Swarms

Tasks and Duties throughout the Life Cycle of a Worker Honey Bee

by Anthony Rodriguez
May 15, 2026

Have you ever wondered where the saying, “busy like a bee” comes from? Well, it comes from the worker honey bee - known to be the most active bee of their species, Apis millifera, as they are faced with many different tasks and duties throughout ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Camp, Clubs & Volunteers, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Livestock, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Recreation, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Acknowledge, Apis Mellifera, Bugs, Colonies, Colony, Cycle, Drones, Duties, Duty, Eggs, Honey, Honey Bee, Insects, Laying Workers, Life, Life Cycle, Nectar, Needs To Bee Protected, Pollen, PolliNATION, Pollinator, Pollinators, Queen, Save The Bees, Task, Tasks, Worked, Worker Honey Bee, Workers, Working
Close-up of a bee on a cluster of golden stamens at the center of a yellow flower.

What’s New on Ask IFAS: Entomology and Nematology (Nov. – Dec.)

by Susan Gildersleeve
May 15, 2026

Common Insect Pests of Lettuce in Florida Tennyson B. Nkhoma, De-Fen Mou. Lettuce is one of the most important horticultural commodities in Florida state agriculture, with production concentrated in the Everglades agriculture area. Among ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Natural Resources
Tags: Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Department Of Family Youth And Community Sciences, Everglades Research And Education Center, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Honey Bee, Honey Bee Research And Extension Laboratory, Lettuce, Mosquito Control
honey bee queen insemination training

Training the Future of Beekeeping: UF/IFAS Honey Bee Laboratory Hosts Honey Bee Queen Instrumental Insemination Workshop Alongside Purdue and Apis Engineering

by Amy Vu
April 24, 2026

GAINESVILLE, Fla., April 21, 2026 — The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory (HBREL) collaborated with Purdue University and Apis Engineering to hold one ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Livestock, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: #ufbugs, Beekeeping, Bees, Entomology, Honey Bee, Honeybee, Insemination, PolliNATION, UFHoneyBee, UFHoneyBeeLab, UFIFASExtension

What’s the Buzz on Bees?

by Dr. Brett Bultemeier
April 8, 2026

Florida is known for many of its “Fresh from Florida” commodities such as citrus, tomatoes, blueberries, strawberries, watermelons, beans, and sweet corn, but what role do honey bees play in the production of these crops? Did you know that ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
Tags: Amy Vu, Archived, Bee, Brett Bultemeier, Honey Bee, Honey Bee Research And Extension Lab, Integrated Pest Management, Jamie Ellis, Pest Management, Pesticide Information Office, Pesticides, Pollinator Protection, Pollinator Week Cross Pollination, Pollinators, Sylvia Willis, UF Honey Bee Lab
honey bee

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services new Plant Pay Portal: What Florida Beekeepers Need to Know

by Amy Vu
March 11, 2026

If you're a Florida beekeeper (or interested in becoming one), there is a new portal through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), called Plant Pay. The FDACS Plant Pay Portal is designed to pay invoices, manage ... READ MORE

Category: Livestock, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: #ufbugs, FDACS, Honey, Honey Bee, UFHoneyBee, UFHoneyBeeLab, UFIFASExtension
instrumental insemination equipment

Strengthening Honey Bee Colonies Through Queen Instrumental Insemination

by Amy Vu
March 5, 2026

Background Honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) continue to face significant losses, largely due to stressors like the parasitic mite Varroa destructor. While chemical treatments are commonly used to treat Varroa, growing resistance has made ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Livestock, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: #ufbugs, Bees, Entomology, Honey Bee, Honeybee, Pests, PolliNATION, UF-IFAS, UFHoneyBee, UFHoneyBeeLab, UFIFASExtension
small hive beetle in cups

Research Update: Evaluating the Toxicity of Known Western Honey Bee-Safe Insecticides in Controlling Small Hive Beetles (Aethina tumida)

by Amy Vu
March 3, 2026

Members of the UF/IFAS Honey Bee Research and Extension Laboratory conducted a research project evaluating the toxicity of pesticides on small hive beetles (SHBs) that have previously shown to have low toxicity to honey bees. Below is a summary ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Livestock, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: #ufbugs, Beekeeping, Bees, Entomology, Honey Bee, Honeybee, Pests, PolliNATION, UF-IFAS, UFHoneyBee, UFHoneyBeeLab, UFIFASExtension

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