Inspecting Your Hive
The time when you learn the most as a beekeeper is during a hive inspection. It’s important that beekeepers understand how to interpret what they see.
Traditionally, the use of technology in beekeeping has been fairly limited, particularly at the hobbyist…
Beekeepers can use some special techniques to check if their colony is alive in the…
A few dead bees are normal, but many at the entrance requires further investigation.
In winter, honeybees rely on moisture inside their hive for water since they cannot forage…
Disturbing the hive in cold weather can stress bees, so it’s safer to check on…
As each beekeeping season is nearing its end, beekeepers are filled with a twinge of…
In our recent Snippet, “Preparing Honeybee Colonies for Winter” we touched on the population changes…
At the time of the original writing and sharing of this Snippet (early September), it…
As we touched on in another Snippet, “Assessing Colony Size”, knowing what the size of…
No matter the reason for your trip out to your bee yard and inspection of…
Being a beekeeper often requires you to pay attention to what’s happening in the environment…
As we touched on in our previous Snippet, “Pollen and Nectar Stores in the Brood…
Especially in the spring and summer months, paying close attention to what’s happening inside your…
Completing hive inspections can be one of the most important tasks you’ll complete in your…
When completing a hive inspection, it’s always beneficial to take note of what you see…
In most places throughout the U.S., by early June the spring nectar flow has begun,…
A swarm is one of the most dramatic and amazing shows of nature that anyone,…
IntroductionWe’ve covered a great deal of ground so far. As you have noticed, beekeeping is…
As beekeepers, we offer our bees a place to live. Whether they choose to stay…
In the perfect world, bees create neat layers of parallel comb, with a nice even…
The hive inspection is a chance for the beekeeper to dig deeper beyond the external…
“Beekeeping Season” is often thought of as the time of year when the world and…
Though it’s a rare and truly beautiful sight, most beekeepers would prefer not to see…
The sight of a honeybee swarm is truly an incredible one. Thousands of honeybees, heavy…
Though beekeeping is an incredibly fun, interesting and often exhilarating hobby, it certainly does have…
This is an Academy Hands-On Lesson. Such lessons feature the individual recollections, ideas, and thoughts…
From foraging to reproduction to making honey, beekeepers find joy in watching bees exhibit all…
Beekeepers spend their winters inside hoping their bees are strong enough to survive the harsh…
It’s valuable to spot eggs, but can often be a challengeWhen inspecting your hives, there…
Awful News, But an OpportunityNo beekeeper wants to go out to feed a hive in…
New beekeepers can justify more frequent inspectionsWhen you start beekeeping, you will likely have an…
What to Use in the Fall and WinterIn the spring our bees will start foraging…
There aren’t many guarantees when it comes to keeping bees, but eventually getting stung is…
Bees are remarkably resilient. From hot to cold and through the seasons, bees are adaptable…
There has been strong growth in interest recently for synthetic comb, as an effective way…
Does the idea of requeening a hive scare you? Don’t let it. It is great for your…
Spring is the busiest time of year for both the bees and the beekeeper. A…
How can we assess our bees response during a hive inspection? And what can we…
Seasonal transitions by our beesIt seems every year is different in some way and here…
We humans generally love summer! But what about our bees? How do they cope with…
Year two is when a beekeeper gets a taste of real beekeeping. If last year…
We are at a time of year when we find colonies that didn’t make it…
“Less than 2 feet or more than 2 miles””No, it’s less than 3 feet or…
Of all the challenges faced by bees – and beekeepers – the topic of “overwintering” is…
In our previous lesson, we looked at why queen rearing can be a fascinating, fun,…
Many beekeepers enjoy and expand their hobby by buying more bees and maybe carrying out…
Free bees!Who doesn’t like the sound of that? If you are a beekeeper – or…
We have looked at the different ways in which frames in your beehive will be…
IntroductionColonies have a single queen. And when they don’t, they are queenless. This state is…
Bees have it tough and have to contend with a wide range of potential challenges.…
Beekeeping brings so much joy to so many, but also has its challenges. We have…
Why Keep Records? A colony is a complex organism of tens of thousands of bees.…
Run! It’s a Bee…We’ve all been there. Maybe you still are. For some, bees equal…
The bane of the beekeeper – but not the beeWhat exactly is cross comb? How…
Back in the 1800’s, the esteemed Mr. Langstroth (yes, the very same Langstroth we know…
Love the OuchIf you’re like most people, the idea of being stung by a bee…
Well, many people might have only seen bees being fed one way or the other.…
Would you like to be able to raise your own queens?The idea of raising your…
Have you ever performed a swarm split?If not, it can actually be rather intimidating at…
Why is weighing your beehive important?Simple – it is a great unobtrusive way to monitor how…
It’s finally here! That joyous warm weather. The sun is shining, it’s 50°F and you’re…
One of the nice things about beekeeping is that it involves a certain amount of…
Sarah has a disappointment with her hive – and that’s just the start. But time…
Beekeepers talk about overwintering – the art of getting bees through the cold winter months.…
Bees face challenge of surviving the colder months. And that can be a major challenge,…
