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DIY Fallen Tree Cutout - Lockwood MO
A local farmer in Lockwood Missouri had a bee tree (of over 10 years) that broke during a recent wind storm. Lucky for us he wanted to save the bees and gave a local Conservation Dept friend a call. The following gallery shows our steps through saving this swarm on a cool day in April (wind was brutal). So… Read More -
Millwood Golf & Rackett Club Tower Honey Bee Rescue
The board at the Millwood Golf & Rackett Club had some complaints about honey bees in the decorative towers. They wanted to save the bees so Jeff and I did the rescue. Since there were three colonies in the tower it took us three days to safely remove all of the bees. Enjoy the video and image galleries… Read More -
Affordable DIY Honey Processing 101
Honey processing is a bit overwhelming for the beginner and this course will help newer beekeepers with lessons learned, how to's and even what not to do's. In this 101 course the picture gallery and video below show a cost effective / affordable way to process and extract your honey. 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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Sweet Ants and Honeybees
One of the most common pests in honey bee hives are sweet ants.
Most beekeepers see them under the cover and on top of the inner cover. Sometimes they are even under the tin on the cover. I have seen many beekeepers go a bit overboard trying to keep ants out of a hive. In our area of SW Missouri ants hold no threat to a colony of bees. Mostly they are just looking for a warm dry home and maybe an occasional bit of sweet food usually from the beekeeper. They do get into the hives on very weak hives but in most cases they are still not the problem or even a threat. The video below discusses the sweet ants in more detail and possible solutions like cinnamon.
Queen Bee Laying Eggs
Short video we took showing a calm Queen Honey Bee moving over her comb and laying eggs.
July Journal
July is normally a hot, dry month here in the Ozarks. The population in most hives has reached its peak and will slowly start to decline by the end of July because the main nectar flow is over. July and August see very little nectar coming into the hives. From what I’ve experienced, there is just enough nectar for them to maintain their reserves but not enough to gain significantly. (Although keeping a hive on a scale shows some very interesting ups and downs).
DIY Bucket Swarm Capture - Springfield MO
If you capture many swarms you will learn a few things are always true: 1. sometimes the swarms leave before you get there; 2. they are not always going to be honeybees; 3. and sometimes the swarm is just to high in they tree to reach easily. Its the facts of chasing bees, not all of them want to cooperate or land in a easy spot for us to capture. We have seen swarms on all kinds of things: cooling ducts, fences, trees, light fixtures, the ground and even cars. These wonderful insects dont always cooperate but here is a simple trick to get the ones up high.
Our Philosophy
Beekeepers Monthy Activity Calendar
Confused on what you should be doing each month?