Honey Bee Management Resources

General Resources

Keeping Bees: This Month in the Apiary

Oregon Master Beekeeper Program

Residential Beekeeping Best-practice guidelines for nuisance-free beekeeping in Oregon 

Best Management Practices for Bee Health

eXtension Resources

Health and Nutrition

Plants for Pollinators

National Strategy to Promote the Health of Honey Bees and Other Pollinators

Overwintering

Overwintered Honey Bee Nucleus Colonies

Pests and Pathogens

General

Honey Bee Diseases and Pests

Diagnosis of Honey Bee Diseases

Scientific Beekeeping

Honey Bee Pathogen Detection:

Specific Species/Groups

To locate veterinarians who talk bees, go HERE.

Pesticides

How to Reduce Bee Poisoning from Pesticides

How to Report a Suspected Pesticide-Related Bee Kill

Are Neonicotinoids Killing Bees?

Reduce the Risk of Pesticides to Pollinators

Pesticides and Pollinators

Pesticide Products, National Pesticide Information Center

Colony Management

All currently available products are available to the general public and should be used following label instructions. Questions or concerns may be directed to the Oregon Dept of Agriculture Pesticides Program at: 503 . 986.4635.

Regarding pesticide licensing relative to the use of Apiguard: “Restricted Use”  pesticides require  a pesticide applicator license in order to purchase and / or apply in Oregon. There are no restricted use products available at this time for Varroa mite control in Oregon. 

In essence, you do not need a license to apply a general use pesticide to your property owned by you or your employer (which includes public employees). It would only be required, if, for example, you were being paid as a contractor to apply strips to someone else’s colonies. This is not a pesticide licensing issue.

Seewww.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/Pesticides/Licensing/Pages/PesticideLicensing.aspx

Pollination

Evaluating Honey Bee Colonies for Pollination

Pollination and Protecting Bees and Other Pollinators

Regulations and Programs

Apiary Registration

Bees and Apiaries

Apiary Registration Application

Apiary Registration FAQ

Assistance

USDA Assistance for Honey Producers

Residential Beekeeping

House Bill 2653

Residential Beekeeping Best-practice guidelines for nuisance-free beekeeping in Oregon 

Frequently Asked Questions About the Residential Beekeeping Legislation, House Bill 2653 of 2015

Model Residential Beekeeping Ordinance for Oregon Cities

Residential Beekeeping by Location

Ashland

Bend (See Section O)

Eugene

Gresham

Hubbard

Lane County

Marion County

Portland

Salem (See also THIS; go to Section 50.720)

Springfield

Packaging and Selling Honey

Farm Direct Marketing

Farm Direct FAQs (scroll down)

Honey Processors Exemption Form

Licensing

Transportation

When Honey Bees Hit the Road: The Role of Federal, State, and Local Laws in Regulating Honey Bee Transportation

Journals

American Bee Journal

Bee Culture

Journal of Apicultural Research

Journal of Apicultural Science

Annual Review of Entomology

Recent Management Posts

Drone hatching from frame of brood

Keeping Bees in January-February 2023

I hope you put the hammer to Varroa and struck while the iron was hot—specifically that you took advantage of the treatment window to reduce Varroa numbers significantly during the broodless period. I think it is very important to start … Continued

honey bees on frame with queen and new wax

Keeping Bees in March 2023

Welcome back, a new bee season is upon us. March usually marks the start of the beekeeping season. While this winter may have seemed cold to you, the bees also had to put on their coats and hats. One of … Continued

Honey bee with apple blossom

Keeping Bees in April 2023

April is generally a happy time in the apiary of most beekeepers. Full of hope, thankfulness, and wonder. Hopefulness for the future season’s success in each of our own endeavors. Health of the honey bees being at the top of … Continued

honey bee on pink flower

Keeping Bees in May 2023

It is still spring in May, and Oregon spring weather is known for changing quickly. The old saying, “If you do not like the weather, wait a minute” applies. Honey bees are ready for good weather; they want to forage … Continued

Queen Bee with workers

Keeping Bees in June 2023

June AGAIN . . . a very important beekeeping month. To follow up on my 2021 “Keeping Bees in June” article, I can now confirm that every year is indeed an exception and we can throw out all previous assumptions. … Continued

purple and yellow flowers in bloom

Keeping Bees in July 2023

Rosanna asked me to do the tips again. So I get to write and say hello to everyone again. Hello. Maybe I will see you at our picnic on July 8! I’m writing this on June 9. I used the … Continued

Honey bees on sunflower

Keeping Bees in August 2023

Every month is a busy month for a beekeeper, but August is particularly important. The weather is hot and dry, maybe with the occasional thunderstorm. It feels like the peak of summer, but this critical month is when we need … Continued