Shook Swarms
"This past summer a good friend of mine Stan Gore and I did a lot of story swapping and experimenting with the Shook Swarm Technique and found it to be a very useful tool in the bee yard." Why use the Shook Swarm...
Beekeepers Blog
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Hive Inspections- Part 2
Read nowHive Inspections! By: Chari Elam Depending on where you are in your beekeeping adventure, you may have completely opposing views from other beekeepers concerning hive inspections. New beekeepers inspect hives to learn AND to manage the hives as they learn....
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3 Options for Preventing March Swarms
Read nowBy Blake Shook If you have to worry about this, that's a great problem! Keep in mind, when your top box becomes 80% full of bees, brood or honey, it’s time to take action! There are 3 primary options to...
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Screened Bottom Boards vs Solid Bottom Boards
Read nowScreened bottom boards are one of those beekeeping tools that spark a lot of debate. Some beekeepers swear by them, others keep things simple with solid bottoms—and both can work just fine. In this article, we’ll break down the pros, cons, and a few things to consider before deciding what’s best for your hives.
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Should I Close Up My Screened Bottom Board During the Winter?
Simply put, if you are in the northern half of the US, or areas with significant amounts of snowfall, it’s a good idea to cover up the screened bottom boards for the winter.Read now -
How to Use Green Drone Frames for Varroa Management (and What to Do When That’s Not Enough)
Read nowStaying ahead of Varroa mites is critical—especially during honey flow when options are limited. Using drone frames as part of your IPM plan can help reduce mite loads naturally, while other products are available if needed.
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Varroa Destructor: Treatment Options Made Easy
Read nowBy: Chari Elam I can speak from experience—the decision of which Varroa treatment to use can feel overwhelming.What should I use? How does it work? Will it hurt my bees? The questions just keep coming… Years ago, we created a...
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2020 March Beekeeping Tips
Read now1. Continue monitoring food stores and practicing the February feeding tips. Work to maintain a 20lb surplus, and feed pollen substitute during cold weeks. To review our article on February beekeeping tips, click here. 2. You should see the population of your hive beginning...
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Diagnosing the Cause of Death
Read nowThis is not a very uplifting topic for sure, but one of the most important skills in beekeeping is to learn from our mistakes, of which we all make many! The average annual hive loss rate is up to 44%....
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Overcoming Winter Beehive Issues
This article is packed full of tips for overcoming winter beehive issues. Such as, a queenless hive, surviving the cold, and killing varroa mites.Read now -
Winning the Battle over Small Hive Beetles
Read nowBy: Nanette Davis Beekeepers anywhere in Texas or neighboring states are likely to have opened a hive at some point and caught sight of a small dark beetle scurrying about like a minuscule rat across the inner cover. For the...
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Fall Management
Read nowWe made it! Fall is officially here – Pumpkin flavored “everything” is the buzz word of the season! If you haven’t pulled out the snow boots and over-sized coats yet, you are behind the times (wink–wink)! Fortunately…VERY fortunately, we don’t...
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How Close Together Can I Place Hives?
Simply put, as close as you like. I recommend placing hives a comfortable working distance apart.Read now -
Water Sources Drying Up
Read nowAs summer begins to heat up, natural water sources begin to dry up. There are countless options to provide your bees with water - Bird bathes, pet watering stations, small vessels in your garden areas, and livestock watering tanks - just to name a...
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Mowing and Maintaining your Bee Yard
Mowing and edging around beehives is not always easy! Bees hate the noise and vibration of either and will quickly become agitated. I recommend mowing and edging in the late evening right before dark when the bees are much less likely to fly.Read now -
When is it too Cold to Check My Hive?
Many beekeepers are very concerned about the cold when it comes time to check their hives in the winter months. However, following a few simple principles, it won’t hurt your hive at all! I always encourage beekeepers to check their hives at least 1 time per month during the winter. Here are some parameters around when to inspect:Read now -
Chilled Brood
Read nowWhat is chilled brood? Like other beekeeping terms – the name describes the condition. When a beekeeper opens the hive to inspect, check the queen, or just to look, it prevents the nurse bees from clustering on the frame potentially...
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Why Every Beekeeper Should Know How to Split Hives
Every beekeeper should learn how to make successful splits! There are two excellent reasons to be able to make splits:Read now -
Is My Hive Ready to Split?
Your hive should have the following things before you try to make a split:Read now -
Cold Weather Chores
It may be cold outside, preventing us from spending time with our bees, but one thing is for sure, we still have chores to do.Read now
