About the Author
Kristi Cook
Articles by Kristi Cook
When Should I Perform the First Mite Check and Treatment?
A key time for getting a jump on varroa is when the colony is broodless, since any mites present will be in a phoretic state rather than hiding inside capped brood.
Read More
Types of Comb and What They Tell Us About Our Bees
Understanding the various types of comb and how bees utilize each type of comb within the hive is just one element of keeping bees healthy and productive all season long.
Read More
Pollinator Haven
No matter where we live, pollinators play an integral role in the success of our gardens and the success of the overall ecosystem. As their populations continue to decline, we can ensure their recovery by providing pesticide-free food sources, adequate shelter, and dependable water.
Read More
Wildflowers for Pollinators/Bees
While it is true that much of beekeeping is far from our control, providing a local food source in the form of wildflowers for pollinators is doable with a little planning.
Read More
Which Garden Veggies Do Bees Pollinate?
Even if we lose all of our honeybees, we will not, as a nation nor as mankind, starve to death. However, because roughly a third of the food we eat requires bees for pollination, we will be forced to greatly modify our food expectations.
Read More
Cleansing Flights
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.
Read More
Learn How Bees Can Be Sustainably Managed
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.
Read More
Catch and Release Powdered Sugar Roll Varroa Mite Test
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.
Read More
Varroa Mite Treatments: Hard and Soft Miticides
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.
Read More
What’s Wrong with My Filtered 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.
Read More