Tag Archives: honey bees
Give Bees a Chance
I love bees. Because I love (and respect and admire) bees, I maintain some hives. I am, however, in the category of what one might call “super hands-off” when it comes to manipulating those hives. What this means is that I keep … Continue reading
Waiter, There’s a Bug in my Sap!
Collecting sap late last night, I was surprised to find sallow moths in nearly every bucket. In some cases, the moths were on the inside wall of the bucket and could be saved, but largely they had met their watery demise … Continue reading
My Bees are Freezing!
Last year, one of my hives didn’t survive the winter. The long, cold days took their toll on the inhabitants of that hive so, over the summer, I made a split from the remaining hive. Everything was going along fine, but now, … Continue reading
Sticky Fingers
At the end of the summer, I pulled honey frames from my two bee hives. As long as the bees are left with at least 70 pounds of honey to get them through the winter, the beekeeper can take any surplus. … Continue reading
Spring Queening
Because one of my bee hives did not survive the bitter cold winter, I am learning to split the surviving hive. The goal here is to both try to avoid a swarm and to start a new hive to replace … Continue reading
Minding My Own Beeswax
Going into the winter, I had two thriving beehives. One was a nucleus colony (or nuc… pronounced “nuke”) purchased from a local beekeeper and the other was a package from somewhere not-local. The difference between the two is that a nuc … Continue reading
Just Like Honey, Baby, From the Bee
“There are certain pursuits which, if not wholly poetic and true, do at least suggest a nobler and finer relation to nature than we know. The keeping of bees, for instance.” -Henry David Thoreau Last weekend, my friend (and beekeeping … Continue reading
The Bears and The Bees – A Not-Love Story
On Monday, my friend Maggie came over to help me open my hives and see what was going on in there. Maggie is into her fourth year as a beekeeper and I’m in my first, so having an experienced set … Continue reading
The Truth About Honeybees
Ready? Okay. Here’s the truth about honeybees… They are in no way terrifying. They want nothing to do with you. They will only sting you when they feel that their queen is threatened. The only stings I have received since … Continue reading
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