This was my fourth season beekeeping and it was an exciting one! The season was filled with learning and adventure. I got to mentor some new beekeepers and continue to work with other beekeepers that I had worked with in previous seasons. This season was also the first season for bees to live in The …
On November 15th meteorologists were telling us to be prepared for 5”-8” of snow starting that evening and into the next morning. This is very early for us to be getting this much snow! I wasn’t completely convinced, but I wanted to at least check on the hives and take the baffles off of the …
Over the last few years I have been trying to find a good solution to providing the hives protection from the wind. My first year I successfully used hay bales around 2 sides of one of my hives. Last year I also used hay bales around the Willow Hive, but not with good results. Mice …
The Orchard Hive has not been storing the syrup that I have been feeding them. The weather is getting colder and it is time to put solid food into the hive for winter feeding. The last time I made solid food for a hive, I just made a brick of it to place in the …
The temperatures are cooling off quickly this fall. It looks like this will be my last chance to check in on the bees. On the ninth of October, I headed out to Old Frog Pond Farm for the final inspections. For winter, I am adding a layer of wool on top of the bars along …
Since figuring out that the Healing Hive wasn’t going to survive I have not gone out to check on them. My thought was to leave them be and let them live out the rest of their lives in peace. At this point it has been about six weeks since I had last seen them. It …
On September 17th the remnants of hurricane Florence were heading our way. They were calling for a lot of rain, some areas possibly up to five inches. In order to prepare for this I went out to the farm early in the morning the day before. The lids needed to be oiled with tung oil …
It’s September 8th and the flow is on! The nectar dearth was rough and the Willow and Orchard Hives have had a difficult time adding food stores to their hives for winter. The Meadow Hive is a very different story! That hive is doing really well and they have plenty of honey to make it …
Word of advise, don’t do it! Lack of sleep leads to bad beekeeping. It had been a little less than two weeks since I had inspected the Willow and Orchard Hives. I had arranged to have a couple of people that I have been mentoring come out and observe this time. Since we were meeting …
It’s been a month and a half since I have been in this hive. The last inspection was July 7th, before I left for Norway. I have been putting it off because I have been having difficulty working this hive. On August 19th, I figured it had been long enough and decided to get into …
It’s been a month since I have inspected the hives. This season I have tried to get into the hives every two weeks or so. Being in the hives so frequently has allowed me to see more of how things work in the hives as the seasons change. This year I have seen a lot …