Combining bee hives can improve overall colony health and success. Colonies can be combined at any point in the season, and for a number of reasons.
Read MoreI live just outside of Seattle. Yesterday I found a queen dead on the landing board of my top bar hive. She was with two worker bees that were alive. I am not sure what they were doing. Pushing her off of the ledge?
Read MoreAdd to Favorites A guide to Beekeeping in the Northern Hemisphere. Loving Hive Highlights? Download other helpful resources in this series! CLICK HERE to get your pdf!
Read MoreFreezing is the very best way to kill wax moths on frames, whether it’s made of wood or plastic. Freezing is effective because it kills all life stages of the moth: eggs, larvae, pupae, and adults.
Read MoreWhen adding honey to soap, the typical ratio is one teaspoon of honey per pound of oils in the soap. Measure out the honey beforehand and dissolve it in a small amount of hot distilled water.
Read MoreGiving homemade holiday gifts is our family tradition. One of my favorite homemade gifts to give is homemade beeswax candles. They are easy, inexpensive, and perfect for neighbors, friends, teachers, and anyone you want to spread cheer to.
Read MoreBackyard Beekeeping December 2021/January 2022 — 1/3 is available now! Subscribe to Backyard Beekeeping for great stories on cleansing flights, buying bees, planning out your pollinator gardens, and making mead. PLUS how to make fondant for bees!
Read MoreI believe one of my hives was poisoned. There is a pile in front of the hive. This colony was a combination of two weak splits waiting for a queen. (I used the newspaper method to combine them. ) My first impression was that my combination of the two hives had caused the dissonance and the death of the bees in front of the hive. After further investigation, I found that most of the dead bees had tongues hanging out. I realized it might be a pesticide. Now my question is how can I protect the other five hives? None of them had the pile of bees in front.
Read MoreDead bees head-down in cells is a common occurrence, but beekeepers seldom agree about the cause. The most commonly heard theory is that the bees could not find food and died licking the remaining molecules off the bottom of the comb.
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