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Mistakes of Splitting Winter Bees Too Early
A fresh article about splitting winter bees and the mistakes of doing it too early One of the best ways to increase your apiary/number of hives is to make splits in the spring when the bees are naturally making increase and preparing to swarm. In other words, take advantage of their natural inclination to swarm and channel that energy… Read More -
DIY Spring Planning 101
To Do List for Each Month: Planning Ahead At this time of year there are a lot of questions about what the beekeeper should be doing. We have been busy teaching the annual Bee School with our beekeeping club. As part of our efforts to prepare these new beekeepers we have prepared this month by month summary of what… Read More -
Oops A Common Spring Mistake - I Left On My Winter Rim!
There are many things that are important to do early in the spring. In an earlier article Preparing For Winter 101 we discussed activities and changes we make to our hives to help them survive the winter. One of those activities is to add a winter rim and that article included a reminder not to leave on your winter… Read More -
Week by week guideline for managing your new package of bees
Getting your first package this spring? Here is a week by week guideline for managing your new package of bees through their first 8 weeks. Read More
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Installing a Package
Unlike Jeff, this is only my third year of beekeeping and this is the first year I installed my first package of bees. My first year of beekeeping I bought two Nucs, starting my second year I had one hive left and was able to split it and capture a swarm. I went into the winter of 2014 with 3 strong hives. Unfortunately like many beekeepers I only had one out of three hives alive this spring. I wanted to grow my apiary and package bees were my best option.
March Journal
March is one of the hardest months for bees. More beehives starve in March than they do in January and February. Why? Because they are not doing much in Jan. and Feb. so they are not eating much. Just trying to stay warm. How-ever, in late February or early March, they start rearing brood to prepare for the spring harvest of nectar and pollen.
How To Light My Bee Smoker 101
So many people ask us how we light our beekeeping smokers and keep them lit. This video will tell you how to light it, what fuel to use and how to keep it smoking all day long.
Hickory Hills Honey Bee Rescue
The homeowner was selling this beautiful home near Hickory Hills golf course. Removal of the bee colony was a requirement to closing on the house. The bees were in the soffit on the back of the house in full shade and unfortunately way high up in the air.
Our Philosophy
Beekeepers Monthy Activity Calendar
Confused on what you should be doing each month?