The weather was somewhat cooperating and I needed to check in on the bees. My plan was to go out to Old Frog Pond Farm and check in on both of the hives, but I had a time limit. I don’t really like to visit the hives when I am in a rush, even if …

After a year and a half of working with this colony, I am completely shocked at their new temperament! They have never been so nice to me! I started the inspection very worried about them, the last time that I checked in on them I thought there was something very wrong. I was so scared …

The two colonies at Old Frog Pond Farm are really thriving. This summer has been a challenge with the drought, but these two colonies have access to amazing forage and water. It’s been about three weeks since I last visited these hives. The last time I inspected the hives, I found a lot of queen …

On June 17th I went over to the Host hive in the evening. My plan was not to open the hive, but to look around and in the window to see how things are going. There was plenty of activity around the outside of the hive. The bees were still very active even into the …

It was time again to check on the hives at Old Frog Pond Farm. They have been growing quickly and I need to check to see if they needs more empty bars again. The weather is warming up quite a bit and we are having some hot days. I like to check on the bees …

Since this colony made it through the winter, I have now been wondering if they are going to swarm this year. If they show any signs of swarming I am hoping to try to split them before they leave. Even though they are my cranky colony, I am still rooting for them to be strong …

On April 29th I went out to Old Frog Pond Farm to inspect the hives. The Willow hive looks great. The bees are very active and foraging. They are bringing in a good amount of pollen. The colony is growing nicely. They have built new comb and are working on filling the cavity of the …

The last time I came out to the host hive I inspected a little, but the main reason for my visit was to add more empty bars for them. I have been so happy that they made it through the winter and are growing quickly. This visit was to do a complete inspection of the …

It’s after the middle of April and the host hive bees seem to be going strong! I have been told by many beekeepers that we can’t be sure that the bees have made it through the winter until May. I am optimistic though. The colony seems to be growing well and they are very active. …

In my most recent blog post I had forgotten to mention that when I was checking in on the queens one of the combs in the Orchard hive broke. After I finished installing the bees into the Orchard hive the comb must have fallen off of the bar that I had hung the queen cage …

It has only been two days since the bees were installed, but I decided to check on them. I only wanted to see how much progress they had made toward releasing their queens. I knew it was early still, but I was curious. It is very exciting to watch the colonies progress as the season …

On Saturday, April 9th we loaded up the top bar hives and drove them over to Old Frog Pond Farm. I had been out at the farm earlier in the week to try to identify locations for the two hives. The farm is very beautiful and peaceful. There will be a lot of forage and …