Featured Stories
How Do I Keep Bees Away from My Pool?
It is well-known that honey bees are attracted to chlorine in pools. Although bees have eyesight that is perfect for finding flowers and evading enemies, it’s not so good for finding water.
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Raising Mason Bees: Do’s and Don’ts
Raising mason bees is as simple as buying or making suitable housing and placing it where it will be discovered by the bees that already live in your area. If you don’t buy mason bees, starting is a bit slower, but the results are worth the wait.
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What’s Bothering My Mason Bees?
The parasitic wasp genus Monodontomerus shows up just as the mason bee season is coming to a close. The wasps are very tiny, perhaps fruit fly size, and fly with a nervous, side-to-side pattern that makes them look guilty.
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Will a Newly Installed Nuc Swarm?
The appearance of a single swarm cell doesn’t mean much. Some colonies repeatedly build queen cups and swarm cells only to tear them down later. We don’t know why they do it, but it may just be a case of being prepared.
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DIY Hive Top Feeder Plan
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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How to Customize Your Hive With a Screened Inner Cover and Imirie Shim
Add to Favorites Just as you can alter the entrance to your Langstroth beehive, you can also alter the top. Two pieces of optional equipment to consider are a screened …
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8 Ways to Be a Courteous Backyard Beekeeper
Being a good beekeeping neighbor is something all backyard beekeepers should be concerned about. When we started talking about keeping bees we knew we’d have to be careful since our property is only 1.5 acres and we’re surrounded by neighbors.
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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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What Does a Caught Swarm Need to Thrive?
I just caught my first swarm by placing a deep hive body on top of a very active swarm on a low brush pile. When I got the deep back to the yard, I installed a frame feeder and a top feeder as well as a pollen patty. I inspected the hive yesterday afternoon, and it is packed out with bees (maybe 5-6 lbs ).
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Conduct an Alcohol Wash for Varroa Mite Monitoring
Monitoring Varroa destructor’s infestation levels is arguably one of the most important tasks on a beehive inspection checklist — yet mite checks are also the most commonly forgotten task. This doesn’t have to be with so many fast and simple methods available.
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