Kristi Cook, Author at Backyard Beekeeping

Cleansing Flights

January 9, 2022 · Kristi Cook · Health & Pests

As with other living creatures, the “outcome” of cleansing flights can be a helpful tool in determining overall colony health and hive conditions, allowing the attentive beekeeper to make informed management decisions.

Learn How Bees Can Be Sustainably Managed

December 2, 2021 · Kristi Cook · Beekeeping 101

The most sustainable manner of keeping bees requires Beeks to learn skills beyond hive inspection, feeding regimens, and pest control. Learning to create splits and raise queens are, without a doubt, the most sustainable manner of reducing costs.

Catch and Release Powdered Sugar Roll Varroa Mite Test

November 26, 2021 · Kristi Cook · Health & Pests

Knowing what a hive’s mite load is can mean the difference between a hive surviving the winter in a healthy state ready to tackle the next honey season and an almost guaranteed untimely death from the viruses and diseases contributed to high varroa loads.

Varroa Mite Treatments: Hard and Soft Miticides

November 17, 2021 · Kristi Cook · Health & Pests

Regardless of where you keep bees, varroa management is a constant topic within any beekeeping community. And with good reason; without proper varroa control, we beekeepers lose our valuable colonies.

What’s Wrong with My Filtered Beeswax?

October 31, 2021 · Kristi Cook · Ask the Expert, Honey & Beeswax

Filtering beeswax can take a bit of trial and error as you get a feel for the process. However, with a bit of practice, you’ll be an old pro in no time. So first, let’s talk about the bubbles you’re seeing in your wax as that’s the first indicator of what is most likely the underlying cause of your multi-shaded wax.

Honey Bee Predators: Mammals in the Bee Yard

September 9, 2021 · Kristi Cook · Health & Pests

Honey bees have many threats to contend with on a nearly daily basis, just like any other creature.

Natural Queen Rearing

September 1, 2021 · Kristi Cook · Health & Pests

Queen rearing is often seen as a beekeeping task best left ‘to the experts.’ After all, the idea of scooping up a tiny bee larvae and slipping her into a queen cup, also known as grafting, seems daunting at best to many.

Solar Bleaching Beeswax: The Safest Method for Lighter Wax

August 19, 2021 · Kristi Cook · Honey & Beeswax

Solar bleaching, on the other hand, has been around for thousands of years and is still the most common and safest method of bleaching wax with a negligible learning curve, promising a lighter wax on your first attempt with just a few steps to keep in mind.

DIY Hive Top Feeder Plan

April 11, 2021 · Kristi Cook · Hives & Equipment

Bees are hungry little creatures that occasionally require supplemental feeding. Fortunately, feeding honey bees during the warmer months requires little more than selecting a feeder and filling it with syrup.