At first I thought this story was unusual. Debbie, a newer beekeeper who reported the incident to me, explained that she accompanied a seasoned beekeeper to his apiary to learn about applying oxalic acid with a vaporizer. Here is her story, edited for brevity: The one hive caught fire. It was hectic trying to get […] Read more
In an unexpected turn of events, the Oklahoma open-air colony I wrote about last week absconded from its nest. Even more surprising, the parent colony, the one that had lived for many years in the hollow of an oak tree on the far side of the pasture, absconded at roughly the same time. Lorieann Bradley, […] Read more
Once you decide to light your smoker, how do you keep it lit? Many beekeepers report that before they’ve finished just one hive, their smoker is cold as night and they have to begin again. In truth, everything you need to know about smokers you learned in elementary school. I’m thinking of those “fire triangles” […] Read more
Are you a smoker? Beekeepers, like other kinds of smokers, seem to fall into two distinct camps: always or never. But like so many aspects of beekeeping, the decision to smoke your bees is not that simple. Most traditional beekeepers keep their smokers close by, routinely lighting up no matter the circumstance. In my recent […] Read more
On the nearly perpendicular hillside behind my house, fighting for space among the ferns and stinging nettles, the wild black raspberries grow. Sweet, intensely purple, and lightly hairy, these berries are my special treat. I collect them every summer, risking their savage recurved spines and the perilous embankment. At the end of each session, my […] Read more
Open-air colonies seem to be everywhere these days. The bees living in this particular colony, hanging from a large oak in northeastern Oklahoma, have a history of dwelling in trees. Both the new colony and the parent colony belong to Lorieann Bradley of Kellyville, Oklahoma. The parent colony has lived for many years in the […] Read more
Although I usually don’t run press releases, this cute story from our bee-loving friends across the pond is right in line with the mission of Honey Bee Suite. If I ever get reincarnated as a bee, I’ll be sure to make a reservation. British bees migrate to cities as rural habitats decline A new poll4 […] Read more