Beekeepers Blog

By Blake Shook It is not uncommon to come out of the winter months with an extra box of honey on a hive. I see this most commonly if: The hive had more than two boxes full or almost full...

There are several indicators that can help you determine when it’s time to harvest your honey. The major nectar-producing flowers begin to die. The specific flowers will vary by region, but every area has a few key plants that produce...

Also read: Swarm cells vs supersedure cells A queen cell is simply a cell in which a queen is actively being raised. A queen cup, or emergency queen cup as they are often called, is an empty queen cup that...

Not every hive keeps up this time of year, and sometimes it’s not obvious why. Weak hives can struggle with brood, population, or foraging even when everything around them looks great. The key is figuring out what’s holding them back—and knowing when to help them along or when it’s time to move on.

Queen excluders can be a useful tool for keeping brood out of your honey supers and helping maintain clean, market-ready frames of honey. While some beekeepers note they may slow nectar movement or reduce honey storage in certain situations—especially in weaker hives—they can still be an effective management choice when used at the right time and with strong colonies.

By: Ronnie Smith CALLI-POWELL RANCH, Texoma, TX Folklore or Fact  Our family has been raising honeybees for three years. We have found the internet and Texas Bee Supply to be invaluable resources. In 2020 with COVID 19 causing limited interactions...

Tips for storing Honey Only bottle the amount you can sell in a reasonable amount of time. Depending on the time of year, you may only sell a few bottles a week or even a month. Avoid having cases of...

As promised (and anticipated I’m sure) – Varroa Destructor is my topic of the month! Those of you that have attended a seminar (or two) know all too well the drilling we get about Varroa mites. Over and over again...

Whether you are getting a new queen to replace a failing one, or to split a hive, it’s exciting! Keep in mind that most queen suppliers begin accepting orders January 1st of each year. If you are planning to requeen...

Fall Feeding: Fall is the critical time to make sure your bees have enough honey to survive winter—but too much honey can crowd the queen and halt brood production. Learn how to balance feeding, monitor brood space, and adjust stores so your hive enters winter strong, healthy, and ready for spring.

By: Joe Bader In 2012, a law was passed in Texas which allows property owners with 5 to 20 acres devoted to beekeeping to get an "Agricultural Exemption" for their land. This law, found under the Texas Property Tax Code...

By: Chari Elam Probably one of the most intimidating aspects of beekeeping is a hive inspection! How often is it done? Do I really have to pull all of the frames? What am I looking at? We’ve ALL asked that...

Warning! Warning! Spring has sprung, whether the temperature and weather conditions seem to agree or not! Here are some tips for managing bee hive expansion.

Topics Beekeepers Can't Agree On! By: Lynne Jones I started beekeeping in September of 2016 – five full years, and this will be the first year I am planning to do splits for the purpose of increasing my colonies. I’ve...

Almost as challenging as finding the queen in a hive is spotting eggs and larvae—they're tiny! An egg is smaller than a grain of rice and rests at the bottom of a dark cell. However, learning to identify eggs and...

Utilizing Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for Varroa mite control takes the pressure off any single method by combining multiple strategies to improve overall success. From mite-resistant queens and brood breaks to drone trapping and knowing when chemicals really matter, IPM pulls the best from each approach to increase long-term success.

New foundation can slow hive expansion, but strategic feeding can help bees draw comb faster. These methods can also help jumpstart new colonies and support more efficient honey production for next year.

How to: Identify Stop it What to do after Prevention   By: Chari Elam Honey is in the air! Literally when honey supers are pulled, the air is filled with the wonderful aroma of honey, beckoning other hives  to take advantage...