A peek at personal hives
The photos in this gallery were submitted by readers of Honey Bee Suite starting in July 2012.
Click on any photo to view slides.
Bees on the inside and the outside. Hive by John W.
Hive by Michael Ishitani.
Hive by Michael Ishitani.
Hive by Michael Ishitani.
Kerry Britt and son extract their first honey . . . 70lbs!
A last minute foraging run. This bee on a fall aster is taking advantage of every opportunity to top off the winter supplies.
Pennsylvania bears toppled this hive twice in three days. Photo courtesy of Susan Fulmer.
Creative problem solving: going for bear. Photo courtesy of Susan Fulmer.
Later on Groundhog Day: sharp shadow. Photo by Herb Lester Apiaries.
Early on groundhog day: no shadow. Photo by Herb Lester Apiaries.
Hives at Still Creek Community Garden in Vancouver, BC by beekeeper Stephen Sandve
Beehives at home in East Vancouver BC by Stephen Sandve. Read Stephen’s blog at East Van Bees.
Hive in the backyard. Photo by Peg Goter, Middletown, R.I.
Jeff Paulsen’s hives in Manitoba prior to being unwrapped in early spring.
Jeff Paulsen’s hives in Manitoba in early July.
Judith from New Jersey says, “I love looking out at whatever livestock is grazing a few hundred feet from where I’m working, be it Belted Galloway cattle, sheep or the turkey I’ll be eating at Thanksgiving. The farmer rotates the animals so you never know. Sometimes I’m lucky enough to be there when the sheep dogs are at work rounding up the herd.”
Hive by Mary McElhinney, Rochester NY.
This hive by Cindi G is too pretty for bees!
Russian sage. Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Coneflowers by Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Gorgeous frames of honey ready to extract by Aaron Dionne, Michigan.
Plenty of honey. Photo by Gord Gibbings.
An assortment of grren and yellow bee hives in an apiary.
White wax on the top bars. Gord Gibbings, Vancouver Island, BC.
Hive by Gord Gibbings, Vancouver Island, BC.
Drone fly on a garlic chive by Peg Goter, Middletown, Rhode Island.
A 97-degree day at Shady Grove Farm but there’s plenty of catnip. Photo by Nan.
Pink hive by AndrewPotterPhoto.com. See Shanna’s blog at HoneyPotters.
Hives struck by vandals in Northamptonshire, UK. Photo by Brian Dennis.
Hives struck by vandals in Northamptonshire, UK. Photo by Brian Dennis.
Hives struck by vandals in Northamptonshire, UK. Photo by Brian Dennis.
Hives struck by vandals in Northamptonshire, UK. Photo by Brian Dennis.
Bee foraging on salvia. Photo by Beverly Orthwein.
Bee foraging on salvia. Photo by Beverly Orthwein.
Willow Run hives produce B’s Gold. Photo by Beverly Orthwein.
Willow Run hives produce B’s Gold. Photo by Beverly Orthwein.
Colorful hives by by Mary McElhinney.
Bees bearding in 90-degree heat in Chris Schad’s restored prairie.
Chicory pollen? Nan says, “Chicory is a noxious weed, but there are goat ranches who maintain pastures of it as a seasonal wormer.”
Hives decorated with help from a friend. Photo by Catherine Gulyas.
Pink hive by AndrewPotterPhoto.com. See Shanna’s blog at HoneyPotters.
New swarm put to bed by Brad Raspet BingalingBees, Skagit County, WA.
Bees storing pollen at Shady Grove Farm, Kentucky. Photo by Nan.
Bees in sedum by Marcee Pfaff.
Pink hive by AndrewPotterPhoto.com. See Shanna’s blog at HoneyPotters.
Agitated bees by Peg Goter, Middletown, Rhode Island.
A lone forager on a cool June morning, Shady Grove Farm, Kentucky. Photo by Nan.
Bee hives in the run by Max Lindegger.
Withers Mountain Honey Farm, Near Mancelona, Michigan.
Koty learns how to smoke a hive.
Koty and the mentoring class at the Tennessee Valley Bee Keeper’s Association in Chattanooga.
And Koty with hive before we poured in the bees.
Koty with his new package of bees.
Here’s our son Koty sitting with his new hive of bees last year.
I can’t imagine hives more colorful than these belonging to Lilette Player in Woodinville, WA.
Bee on a bramble. Photo by Toby Mark.
Hive and photo by Toby Mark.
Busy nuc. Photo by Toby Mark.
Honey bee taking on a rest stop. Photo by Toby Mark.
Bee on hollyhock by Marcee Pfaff.
Bee on dandelion by Mary McElhinney.
Bee drinking by Aaron Dionne, Michigan.
Bee drinking by Aaron Dionne, Michigan.
Bee drinking by Aaron Dionne, Michigan.
Polystyrene hive by Hannah in the UK.
Polystyrene hive by Hannah in the UK.
Bees bearding on a top-bar hive near Olympia, WA. Rusty Burlew.
Asian mantis. Photo by Nan at Shady Grove Farm in Kentucky.
Andy Brown of Rhode Island says, “When you keep bees you pay a different kind of attention to the seasonal parade of flowering plants.” Notice the frost asters behind his hives.
Morning in the bee yard at Shady Grove Farm, Corinth Kentucky. Photo by Nan.
Urban bee hives in Illinois. See more bee photos at AlexanderWild.com.
Brood frame from recently split hive by Lyn Berry, Florida.
Brood frame by Lyn Berry, Florida.
Warre and Langstroth hives by Thomas Friedland of Ellensberg WA.
Bees through glass by Thomas Friedland of Ellensberg WA.
Warre forklift by Thomas Friedland of Ellensberg WA.
Steve says: My hives are encased in 2 inch rigid foam and wrapped with tar paper. The gallon can on top is full of sand as a dead weight. In the middle background is a solar powered electric bear fence. Beekeeping in Colorado!
Stephen Lynch in a biker jacket installs a nuc on the rooftop of Hack Manhattan
Sarah’s bees are lucky to live under such an awesome tree.
Charlie Blevins’ San Francisco rooftop hives.
“My bees ‘hanging’ out on the porch on a hot summer evening” by Debbe Krape, Delaware.
This is our suburban hive, in Woodinville WA next to the greenhouse. This is just after we shook the package: top feeder and one deep. It now has two deeps plus 2 westerns, by Jami Carter.
Newly installed nuc and bee buddy by Kerry Britt.
Withers Mountain Honey Farm near Mancelona MI. Photo by Jim Withers.
Beehive at the top of Logan Canyon in the Cache-Wasatch forest in Northern Utah. Photo by Dean Garlick.
Beehive at the top of Logan Canyon in the Cache-Wasatch forest in Northern Utah. Photo by Dean Garlick.
Mason jar feeders. Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Mary McElhinney and colorful hives.
Lizards on Louisiana hives by Helen C.
John and Sally’s hives in N. Illinois.
Pastel of Iowa hive by Jim Davis. Bees101 is the blog of Jim and Kathy Davis.
The queen is out and about. Photo by Ryan Reid.
First burr comb? Photo by Ryan Reid.
First hive for Steve, Amanda, and Ryan Reid of Burlington, Iowa. Photo by Ryan.
Bee Crossing. Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Ornamental grasses use for a windscreen. Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee. Hive next to swarm tree.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Bees drinking at Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Down by the stream. Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Beeware of the bees. Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
“I have tagged my hives according to their personalities.” Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee. New bees.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Herb Lester Apiaries, Tennessee.
Hive by Mary McElhinney, Rochester NY.
“Home is where the hum is.” Hives by Marcee Pfaff.
Log bee hive with super by Bob Searcy.
Josh’s hives are treated with a mixture of beeswax and raw linseed oil. © Josh Muckley.
Our growing backyard beeyard. Rick Brown and Jill Wiest. East Central PA, Dauphin County. Going into our 3rd winter.
Paul Morgan. Three hives in modest Los Angeles backyard. Two were passing through and stayed. Only our 3rd year. 1st year of harvest. 3 very different personalities. This one is very sociable with large harvests. @copy; Paul Morgan.
Paul Morgan. Three hive in modest Los Angeles backyard. Two were passing through and stayed. Only our 3rd year. 1st year of harvest. 3 very different personalities. This one: 1st harvests May & November. © Paul Morgan.
Paul Morgan. Three hives in modest Los Angeles backyard. Two were passing through and stayed. Only our 3rd year. 1st year of harvest. 3 very different personalities. Yellow top most defensive; not using super avail for 6 months. © Paul Morgan.
To whomever is willing to listen, I have been watching news, and personally have experienced large number of bees that are being destroyed by fire dept crew, when anyone calls them out for as a defense against a wild bee hive, in an abandoned house next door. As a carpenter framing homes, the soffit is the part of the roof that over hangs the outer walls and it is a building code to allow vents to cool the huge attics. These bees are finding global warming unbearable and leave the bee hives that are left out in the open sun light to extremely hot air and heat. In search of these cooler places…suggestion place small covering sheds over the bee hives for shade and small solar panels that operate small cooling fans to help the small creatures cool off their homes. Then they will flourish and bee happy. Do it not and watch and see all the bees disappear From us all.
Give every fire department a heads up not to kill the bee hives anymore… Work together the bees are depending on our smarts to help them….thanks for your time.. And I hope this will reach all bee hive keepers attention…
We experienced some off/on cold days during this last winter that took a toll on the colonies. So I started building insulated extra deep Layen hive boxes with a four-inch overhang. With your idea of installing solar fans that should help make the hive even more comfortable for them. What cfm size would one use?
Like your idea, Mike, Sounds like a plan!