Queenless or Seasonal Slow Down?
In late fall, queens often stop laying—but if one hive lags behind others or shows weak brood, it may be failing or queenless. Strong hives can be saved, but weak ones need attention to prevent loosing them over winter.
Being a beekeeper can be very rewarding but along with the rewards come some safety hazards. The most common of these are allergic reactions, fire hazard, lifting hazard and exposure to some toxins. The two most important considerations to help...
Not every hive can—or should—be saved. Knowing when to stop investing in a failing colony can save you time, resources, and help protect the rest of your apiary.
How to make a handy mobile storage dolly By: Harrison Rogers Vice President Harris County Beekeepers Association Treasurer - Real Texas Honey Program - Certified Texas Master Beekeeper Have you ever started pulling supers out of storage when the nectar...
By: Chari Elam I know first hand the excitement you have! The feelings of giddy anticipation with overtones of trepidation! Taking the time to pre-plan a few key aspects can and WILL take a load off your worries. Where are you...
When we think of the Varroa Mite, we think it must have been a problem for our bees forever! That’s actually not true! Varroa mites are a native parasite from Asia and the Asian honey bee, Apis Cerana. It wasn’t...
Whether you have 1 hive or 10,000 hives, keeping up with what you’ve done, what you need to do and when it needs to be done can be daunting. The topic of record keeping for beekeepers has long been a...
Most beekeeping books suggest swarm cells and supersedure cells are easy to tell apart based on location alone—but bees aren't reading the same books we are. Looking at factors like hive strength, time of year, brood pattern, and the number of cells present gives a clearer picture of what the bees are really doing and helps avoid costly missteps.
Often people are interested in trying beekeeping methods that are different from that of the traditional vertical Langstroth hive. Exploring various methods of beekeeping is both fun, practical and should be encouraged. Top bar beekeeping, with a little research and...
Recipe: Honey Apple Turnovers
Honey is the key ingredient that makes these breakfast treats so delicious! Simple to make, and certain to be a family favorite!
And the Answer is... Probably So! As we embark on what will no doubt be a long hot summer, supplementing pollen can accomplish three primary goals throughout the year: 1. Preventing nutritional deficits during pollen dearths. If you have a...
By: Blake Shook Is it a time of year, or when the bees reach a certain stage? The short answer is…both! Supering is usually referred to as: adding additional boxes in which the bees begin storing surplus honey. In most...
IPM - Integrated Pest Management The IPM approach is simply this – utilizing a series of methods for the long-term control and prevention of Varroa mites. The combination of these different methods gives the beekeeper and the bees a much...
Post-harvest is one of the most vulnerable times for our bees. The smell of honey is in the air and the scout bees are on the hunt, thus it’s very important to learn how to recognize robbing behavior. During robbing...
Topics Beekeepers Can't Agree On! By: Lynne Jones Queen Excluders below your honey supers - always, never, sometimes? That was the question I asked beekeepers in two Facebook groups on April 1st. Out of twenty beekeepers that responded, a whopping...
