“It’s obvious you don’t like these mites, but I want to try anyway. Do you have any suggestions?” Well, I have some ideas, as long as you keep in mind that I have never actually done this . . . These little mites are fragile. Most suppliers want to ship them overnight or two-day mail. […] Read more
I have spent the last two days reading everything I could find about Stratiolaelaps scimitus as a control for Varroa destructor. And my conclusion? It won’t work. Some beekeepers report success, but the experiments—at least those I’ve been able to find—have been small and anecdotal with no statistical analyses. I understand that some larger and […] Read more
When I see photos of embattled cities waist deep in concrete and rebar, or images of urban streets paved with asphalt and lined with brick, I wonder about the bees. Where did they go? How did they die? Did anyone care? I think about it, but it seems removed. It happened in some other place. […] Read more
I am pleased to share another photo from Louisiana beekeeper Robert Lunsford who, earlier this year, sent awesome images of chimney bees. Today’s photo shows a honey bee fanning in front of her hive while carrying a full load of propolis. I love the way the light glows through the big, gooey drops. Better still […] Read more
After the recent cold snap, which lasted about two weeks, I checked my hives with trepidation. I’ve been beekeeping long enough that I shouldn’t be anxious, right? Wrong. I was nervous as a cat, wondering how many colonies I lost. The day before the cold weather was due, I took the unusual precaution of giving […] Read more
The next step up from cut comb honey is chunk honey . . . or maybe it’s a step down. I’m not sure which it is because, even though I totally get the idea of comb honey, I am mystified by chunk honey. If you are not familiar with the term, chunk honey is simply […] Read more
By far the easiest type of comb honey to produce is called “cut comb.” It requires no special hive equipment nor any special bee-handling techniques. It can be obtained from just about any type of hive and the options for packaging are many. Since the requirements are few, it is the most economical comb honey […] Read more