Just days after I mentioned how rarely we see varroa mites on bees, Bryan Bender sent this fascinating photo of a mite riding his queen. It’s an amazing catch. Not once I have ever seen this in person, and only rarely in photos. Thank you, Bryan, and good work! Save
Lucky belongs to James, a new beekeeper in Nisswa, Minnesota. Lucky reminds me so much of the kitty belonging to Vivian and Craig Scott of Delaware that I just had to post his photo—same passion, same intensity, same zeal for the job. How does one get one of these jobs, I wonder? What are the […] Read more
Here’s a perfect photo of a perfect honey bee working white sweet clover. Thank you, Bill!
John Carey of central Illinois sent these photos of a swarm he hived on June 30. Nice catch! It’s another case where the tree is barely up to the task.
Wouldn’t you know it? Now we have the Canadians battling for first place in the snow wars. So far, I don’t think there’s much question. Phillip Cairns, intrepid beekeeper and author of Mudsongs.org, had to do some serious digging to find this hive right in his own backyard. The second photo shows the hive “after […] Read more
Since I ran a photo of southern hives in a dusting of snow, I just had to run this photo of northern hives in real snow. Beekeeper Greg Padley keeps four hives about an hour north of Montreal. The building in the background is a shed where he keeps his equipment. According to Greg, his […] Read more
The county where I live just erected these signs not far from my house. I’ve always known bears were in the area, but somehow the signs make them seem more immediate, more of a threat. So far, no bears have attacked my apiary, but you never know. There is a first time for everything.