Beekeeping Tips for June Colonies that did not swarm will be boiling over with bees and the “Honey Flow” continues. Keep up swarm inspections and continue adding additional space as needed. Spring honey sources start to fade and a short honey dearth may happen between blooming cycles. Rain and weather conditions affect the summer nectar

Beekeeping Tips for May The hive is working at top speed. Beekeepers hustle to keep up with the working bees by adding empty boxes underestimating how much equipment you need could cost you a honey crop and could enhance the swarming impulse. Make sure to keep an empty box on top during this time of

The bad news: Bee habitat is on the decline, and honeybee populations are crashing. The good news: a small garden gesture can have a very positive impact!

Beekeeping Tips for April Bees are roaring, new bees are humming with orientation flights and Drones are on the hunt. This is when swarming is at an all time high. Swarming generally occurs right before the heavy “Honey Flow”. Drones are fully mature for mating and Queen Cells are hatching. Love is in the air.

Beekeeping Tips for March This is a critical time for starvation. The young bees are hatching daily and the size of the colony increases by hundreds if not thousands per day. The worker bees are beginning to forage and drones begin to appear. As the days grow longer, the Queen increases her rate of egg

Beekeeping Tips for February The Queen still remains in the cluster and as the days become milder she begins to lay more eggs. The previous protein (Pollen Patty) is used to feed young larva. These bees will hatch out of the cell in 21 days. When young bees are being raised and days are warm,

Choosing a Bee House? Choosing bee equipment can be a very daunting task.  This applies to all aspects of the hobby from protective gear to beekeeping tools and even the actual woodenware that houses the colony.   The honeybees themselves don’t care very much about the exact type of equipment you choose as long as it

What’s happening in the hive? We’ve begun a new year, and the curious beekeepers can’t help but wonder what those winter honeybees are doing.  We packed up the colonies with food during the fall and hoped for the best.  Now we still have a few months of potentially cold weather before we can hope for

Beekeeping Tips for January During colder weather, the Queen is surrounded by thousands of worker bees. This is considered the “Winter Cluster”. You should not disturb this cluster, only open the hive and work bees when the cluster is loose. Activity will be apparent on warmer days (45-50 degrees), this is when bees are taking

For some of us, this is our first winter as a beekeeper. Others, however, are old pros at beekeeping….. right? Whether this is your first winter or just one of many winters as a beekeeper, we are continually learning how to hone our craft of beekeeping. In December, the bees are in a tight cluster