Featured Stories

How do I Configure My Top Bar Hive?

If your top bar hive opens on the side (cold-way configuration, like a Langstroth), putting the empty brood frames right in the center will work fine.

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Why Did My Newly Installed Bees Make a Queen Cell?

Mary writes … Today was inspection day and I found what appears to be a queen cell … yikes!

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Dead Bees in a Package: How Many is Too Many?
April 24, 2021 · · Beekeeping 101

I received my package, and 80 to 90% of the bees were dead. I could not tell if the queen bee was there. We tried to remove most of the dead bees. We just put the queen part at the bottom of the brood box.

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Tips for Planting Flowers That Attract Bees

We often overlook the fact that the number of bees (and other pollinators) are declining. By planting flowers that attract bees, we help the bees survive.

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Will Spraying Dandelions Harm Bees?

My son is thinking of spraying 2,4-D for the dandelions — how safe is it for the bees? All the bees died this winter.

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DIY Hive Top Feeder Plan
April 11, 2021 · · 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.

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Take Our Beekeeping Survey
April 7, 2021 · · Beekeeping

We need your help! Complete our short survey and you’ll be entered to win a $50 gift card to our bookstore.

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Will Wax Moths Come up Into the Hive From the Screened Bottom Board?

Will wax moths come up into the hive from the screened bottom board? I’ve cleaned up some deadouts and would like to leave them set up, the freezing during the winter should have killed eggs or larvae in the comb. I’ve closed off the entrances with window screen.

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Is Moisture Killing My Bees?

As long as they are dry, honey bees are wizards at staying warm. But a moist hive can be a death sentence because evaporation is a cooling process that steals the heat from a bee’s body. Living in a damp hive is like standing in a cold room while dripping wet from a shower.

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Emergency, Swarm, and Supercedure Cells, Oh My!

I remember seeing the queen in our first ever hive and thinking to myself, “I’ll never find supercedure cells since I’m going to do all I can to keep her alive forever.” Of course, that’s not really the reality of beekeeping.

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