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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.
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Should I be Worried About my Walkaway Split?
There are a couple of versions of a split (or divide) that simulate this. One is by using swarm cells in the split(s). The other, which it sounds like is what you did, we call a “walkaway split.” I just did one yesterday so I’ll explain how I did it.
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Reversing Brood Boxes in the Spring — Is it Necessary?
Many beekeepers begin spring by “reversing brood boxes,” which just means switching the two so that the cluster is on the bottom. Some beekeepers do this routinely, while some never do it. It’s not necessary because, as the brood nest expands, the queen will eventually begin laying in the bottom box, especially if you use a queen excluder to keep the queen out of the honey supers. Whether you reverse the boxes is just a matter of beekeeper preference.
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What are the Pros and Cons of Using Nine Frames vs 10 Frames?
What are the pros and cons of using nine frames in the brood boxes? If one wished go from nine frames to 10 frames, how should it be done?
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The (Not) Invasion of the Asian Giant Hornet
Asian Giant Hornets are large, scary-looking, and pack a pretty bad sting. However, the odds of you coming in contact with the infamous “murder hornet,” more properly termed Vespa mandarinia, are incredibly low.
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How to Make Beeswax Food Wraps
It’s easy and inexpensive to make beeswax wraps, and they make a great addition to your homestead kitchen. If you’re a backyard beekeeper, you’re likely on the hunt for beeswax uses and you already have everything you need to get started.
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How Do I Prepare a Dead Hive for New Bees?
Unless the colony died because of a nasty disease like American Foulbrood, you can definitely re-use the equipment. AFB would present as a horrible smelling hive with rotting, brown, slimy brood. You don’t want to re-use equipment if the colony had AFB because it will pass on the new bees.
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Do My Honey Bees Have Nosema?
I was inspecting my hive today for the first time this season and noticed the bees were not very interested in sugar syrup. It made me wonder if they had Nosema. A friend who knows more bee science than I do mentioned it, but I’ve never had it before and don’t really know what to look for.
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How Do I Harvest Royal Jelly?
To harvest royal jelly in any quantifiable amount, you’ll need several strong, healthy hives and a working knowledge of queen grafting.
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How Do You Catch a Swarm of Bees?
The simplest answer to “how to catch a swarm of bees” is this — get the queen and all the ladies in something you can safely transport them in back to your apiary.
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