Here’s another mystery for all you hive detectives. Mark, a soon-to-be beekeeper in northern California, purchased three beehives from an ex-keeper who decided to quit after his bees absconded. Mark performed a cursory inspection of the equipment before purchase, but after getting it home and examining more carefully, became concerned about the crud shown below. […] Read more
Cleaning used frames is one of those mind-numbing chores that ranks with weeding, ironing shirts, and washing dishes. When I pull old frames from a hive, I put them somewhere—temporarily—until I can get to them. Such temporary placement evolves into years because almost anything else gets priority. When—and if—I eventually get around to it, I […] Read more
It’s time for my annual list of holiday gifts for beekeepers. They range from very inexpensive stocking-stuffers to more expensive “serious” gifts. Honey-Maker by Rosanna Mattingly: In my opinion, this is a treasure of a bee book and a perfect gift. You can find it at Bear Grass Press. Vivaldi board: An inner cover, ventilated […] Read more
Here’s a list of twenty-five handy holiday gifts for your favorite beekeeper. Duct tape: can’t live without it necessity in the apiary. Hive tool: these get lost. So if one is good, more is better. Essential oils, especially spearmint, lemongrass, tea tree, or anise: used for making dietary supplements for bees. Paint strainers, one- or […] Read more
It’s fall. You are pouring over glossy bee catalogs about to order your first hive. Your bee club advises you start with two, but you are thinking one is best. After all, it looks expensive and you might not even like it. What to do? My advice? I have to side with the bee clubs […] Read more
Yesterday I fixed up a small hive with upper and lower ventilation, strapped it together, and added a Brushy Mountain Bee Farm moving and robbing screen, partially painted. My plan is to move this hive further from the house–away from the dog–and I will use the method I outlined in the post, “How to move […] Read more
Warped boxes are irritating. The boxes in the photo are only about two years old. They were painted and assembled when I first got them, but they still managed to warp. As you can see, the middle portions shrunk away from each other until a space large enough for bee passage appeared between them. Will […] Read more