Compared to the first year of beekeeping, we’ve mellowed out in some ways. There are still discussions and disagreements but we don’t often take extraordinary measures to save a hive…for the most part. Last time, we noticed that one of our new hives was failing–no sign of a functional queen, no new eggs, no larvae, [ Read More ]
One of the irritations I have with beekeeping and have mentioned more than once is that the equipment rarely comes with instructions and if it does, you need a magic elf from the fiery marshes of Bee Vale to decipher it. We used to jam pack our smoker with every type of natural fiber, light [ Read More ]
Hello all, NBB here. Sharon’s a bit swamped with deadlines, so she’s asked me to fill in with a blog post about all the exciting things that are happening in the birding world. But since I avoid knowing anything about the birding world with great vigor, I instead present you with Birds Wearing Hats. Hilarious, [ Read More ]
Just an FYI: if you are at CONvergence this weekend, Mr. Neil and I have donated some comb honey and a rusty chipped hive tool (which could be used as a terrifying weapon or shank if one runs in those circles) to the silent auction. Both items have been autographed by Mr. Neil and our [ Read More ]
Lili sent me this link from the BBC about using Diagnostic Radioentomology to get a 3-D view of your beehives without opening it up. The article states that you can even track individual bees and the queen herself…this takes some of the fun out of beekeeping but if you want to avoid crushing your queen [ Read More ]
One of my favorite birders to follow on Twitter is Scott Fraser. He’s funny and has a hardcore programming job by day and a hobby farm by night. He started beekeeping and he made a time lapse video showing his family installing their bees this spring. It’s interesting to watch because of the lack of [ Read More ]
Oh my, how things have changed for me and my perspective of beekeeping! Our first year was a panic, but now it’s a fun chore that I look forward to in spring. I can almost do it without the guide, but I like to consult it before we put in our bees to ensure that [ Read More ]
I know the reports for allergy sufferers has been rough this spring, but our bees our loving it. They are returning to the hives with massive pollen baskets. All four hives are still going strong this spring. I think this early spring allowed us to open them up early enough to get them ventilated and [ Read More ]
Last week we did another check of all the hives last week. All were still doing well, brood was cooking and the hives were building up for the summer. We had some brood placed between boxes so we inadvertently killed some pupae, it looked like drone brood so I wasn’t too bummed–we weren’t killing the [ Read More ]
This blog post is not only an update for those curious about the going’s on, but also to serve as notes for how we prep the hives this fall. What’s nice about a blog is that is kind of a nice notebook. Also, Mr. Neil would like an update on our bees while he is [ Read More ]
