Featured Stories
Nosema Disease in Honey Bees
Nosema is a serious disease of honey bees caused by a microsporidian. A microsporidian is a type of single-celled fungus that reproduces by spores. The nosema organisms live and reproduce in the honey bee midgut where they steal nutrients and prevent digestion.
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Moisture Control in The Hives: A Four-Season Approach
We work with the seasons and the bees’ own incredible ability to self-regulate to keep heat, cold, and moisture in check. While it is useful to look at how bees live “in the wild” to understand their natural preferences, it’s good to remember that honey bees are adaptable and live all over the world, in all climates.
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Fascinating Queen Bee Facts for Today’s Beekeeper
Queen bees are fascinating and sophisticated creatures. Before starting your honey bee farm, there are some queen bee facts you must know in order to be a successful backyard beekeeper.
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Do My Honey Bees Have Nosema?
Honey bee dysentery is often confused with Nosema disease, so when beekeepers see feces on or near a hive, they automatically think the worst. But several recent papers have reiterated that dysentery is caused by an excess of moisture in honey bee feces. It may occur simultaneously with Nosema or not, but the two conditions are not related.
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Who is the Queen Honey Bee and Who is in the Hive with Her?
The honey bee hive is a busy place where every bee has a job. The hive consists of the queen honey bee, the drones, and the workers. Part of learning how to raise bees is learning what role every bee fills.
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LIST: Common Beekeeping Terms You Should Know
It seems like every hobby comes with its own set of words and sayings. Beekeeping is no exception. I recall the first time I heard an experienced beekeeper talk about her “ladies” during a beginning beekeeping course. Looking around the room and seeing both woman and men, I was all sorts of
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Moving Beehives: What You Need to Know
When you first got interested in starting beekeeping, I know you did tons of research and thinking about where to put your hives. But sometimes things change and you need to change with them. And so, you find yourself moving beehives.
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Propolis Benefits Inside and Outside the Hive
When people think about products that bees produce they often think of honey and beeswax, but bees also make other products such as royal jelly and propolis. Benefits of each of these products can be seen inside the beehive and outside the hive.
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Can I Raise Bees on Forest Land?
Honey bees are adept at finding seepages from hillsides, moist layers of moss, morning dew, and even traces of water in soil where another animal has been digging. Most of their water will come from nectar, and even in the driest areas, something is usually in bloom.
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11 Must-Have Beekeeping Supplies for Beginners
When our son first decided he wanted to keep bees and we started looking at beekeeping supplies, we learned pretty quickly that starting beekeeping can be pricey. Since we are really not the kind of people to rush out and drop a lot of money on a new found hobby we had to get creative.
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