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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 -
Worker Laying In Queen Cells
We were working hives today and found one of the splits didn't have a queen that made it back into the hive (it happens). So a queenless hive but what was weird was it had a couple of queen cells. We dissected the queen cells to find laying workers can lay in a queen cell also....two larvae swimming in royal… Read More -
Investigating a deadout - Why did my colony die?
This is a common question that is very hard to answer. We recently found a deadout and filmed our investigation. Read More -
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. Read More
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Our Philosophy
A Future With Bees is a Missouri based operation promoting locally bred “survivor” honeybees, natural beekeeping and protecting a future that includes honeybees! We believe that breeding better bees is the best long-term solution to our bee's health and longevity. We practice chemical free, sustainable apiary management.
We happily pick up swarms anywhere in the Springfield, MO region. We also perform bee rescues where we remove unwanted bee colonies from houses, trees, building structures, or anywhere else! If you have bees, we can help!
About Us Beekeepers Monthy Activity Calendar
Confused on what you should be doing each month?
Each article linked below gives you a monthly look at what is going on inside your hives and what activities you should be thinking about.
Read More Varroa Mite Load Check Using Drone Brood
Following one of my favorite beekeeping experts, Randy Oliver of Scientific Beekeeping we created a video demonstrating our experience one day checking drone brood.
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).
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.
417Magazine Article on Honey With 417Bees
Honey of a Hobby
When it comes to bees, Jeff Maddox and Rob Maupin of 417 Bees do it all—they sell honey and bees, remove bees and have their own hives. They gave us the scoop on honey’s greatest secrets.
1. 417 Bees has approximately 150 hives located at some 24 apiaries (bee yards) around 417-land. “Our apiaries go as far west as Halltown, as far east as Rogersville and north to Fair Grove,” says co-owner Jeff Maddox. The bees produce nearly 100 gallons of local raw honey per year.