Yesterday I began reading The Quest for the Perfect Hive: A History of Innovation in Bee Culture by entomologist Gene Kritsky (2010). The book is a history of hive design from ancient times to the present, including drawings, photos and descriptions of what worked, what didn’t, and why some hives were more popular than others […] Read more
Whenever I think of summer ventilation, I think of the White House beehive. Beekeeper Charlie Brandt uses a large eke with a hole cut in each side. The eke is mounted above the stack of honey supers, just below the telescoping cover. The holes are large—I estimate about three inches in diameter—and are screened on […] Read more
For years I tried to reduce moisture accumulation in my wintering hives. Then, after much reading about Warré hives, I decided to modify a Warré-style moisture quilt box into something that might work on my Langstroths here in the Pacific Northwest. I spent quite a while thinking about this and a long time building the […] Read more
Yesterday a reader from Florida asked for specific instructions on how to keep a hive well ventilated in a hot and humid climate. This is a good question. Although colonies can usually survive hot and humid conditions, they will produce more honey and be less stressed if they don’t have to spend all their energy […] Read more
Believe it or not, today is the first day of fall. Your bees are decreasing in number. Pollen and nectar are becoming scarce. The bees are clustering at night. It is a good time to review your winter preparations. Mite treatments should be complete. Ideally, any mite treatments should be completed early enough that a […] Read more
Bearding is a term for bees that are assembled on the outside of the hive during hot weather. They may cling to the outside of the brood boxes, hang from the alighting board, or gather near the entrance. The conditions that lead to bearding are high temperatures, high humidity, over-crowding, lack of ventilation or some […] Read more