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How to Help Bees During Spring Rain and Storms
March 5, 2022 · · Health & Pests

Spring rain is a welcome sight to a homesteader who is busy sowing seeds and planting crops. However, those same spring rains can turn into devastating storms that often leave beekeepers wondering how to help bees weather the storms?

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Raising Honey Bees with Pets and Livestock
February 27, 2022 · · Health & Pests

When we decided to start raising honey bees, one of the things we needed to consider was the safety of the other animals on our property. If we had a large property where we would be able to put our hives away from our other animals it would be easy, but we don’t have a large property.

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Sun and Shade for Bees: What is the Right Mix?
February 15, 2022 · · Hives & Equipment

Add to Favorites Many factors are important in determining a beehive location, including the relative amounts of sun and shade for bees. Many beekeepers insist that honey bee hives should …

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8 Ways to Be a Courteous Backyard Beekeeper
January 26, 2022 · · Beekeeping 101

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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Fascinating Queen Bee Facts for Today’s Beekeeper

Queen bees are fascinating and sophisticated creatures. Before starting your honey bee farm, there are some queen bee facts you must know in order to be a successful backyard beekeeper.

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What is Honey Bee Dysentery?
December 10, 2021 · · Health & Pests

Beekeeping is rife with confusing terminology that can baffle even experienced beekeepers. Honey bee dysentery is a perfect example.

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Top Bar Beehives vs Langstroth Beehives
December 8, 2021 · · Hives & Equipment

Not long after our teenage son started raising honey bees, a family friend built him a top bar beehive with an observation window using beehive plans from a homesteading book. It was such an amazing gift.

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5 Honey Bees to Consider, Including Buckfast Bees
December 7, 2021 · · Beekeeping 101

One of the first questions a beekeeper asks is, “What kind of bees should I keep?” There are many bees to choose from: Carniolan, German, Italian, Russian, and Buckfast bees, to name a few. Which is the right one to keep?

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The Ins and Outs of Buying Bees
December 2, 2021 · · Beekeeping 101

Every spring potential beekeepers begin to get excited about starting to keep bees. They read beekeeping books and articles, and talk to experienced beekeepers about everything from setting up their apiary to buying bees.

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Which Bees Make Honey?
November 19, 2021 · · Beekeeping 101

While not all bees make honey, there are many species that do—perhaps hundreds.

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