In the grand scheme of things, I am a relatively small-scale beekeeper, aiming for an end of winter hive count of around 20 hives. That puts me somewhere between a “hobbyist” beekeeper (usually less than 20-30 hives) and a sideliner beekeeper (20 -30 up to around 100 hives, and making some money on the side, …
Category Archives: Bees
Stow aways!
For me, preparing hives for winter means putting insulation on the top, wrapping the hives with a relatively modest insulation, and adding mouse guards to the entrances. The mouse guards are needed because, believe it or not, mice love to cohabitate with bees during the winter. They seem willing to risk the possibility of being …
Raccoons and possums and skunks, oh my!
What a spring it has been. Temperatures in the 80s in mid-April in SE Michigan, followed by cool days that just didn’t seem to want to go away, keeping the bees inside. Finally, it is warm enough here to get serious about making splits, moving queens and a cohort of bees out of the original hive to …
The smell of the end of summer
What smell would you bring to mind, if I asked you what the end of summer smells like? As we approach apple season, I can imagine you saying “warm apple pie”. Or if state fairs were a part of your growing up, “cotton candy”, or “hot funnel cake”. Or if canning is a family tradition, …
Swarm Catchers
The best laid plans of mice and men, or in this case beekeepers, often go awry. And when it comes to swarms, this year my bees have definitely had a mind of their own. I don’t entirely understand why they are having such a hard time sticking with the plan. I talk to them regularly …
The Buzz about Beeswax
Before I became a beekeeper, I had never done anything with beeswax, or even owned a beeswax candle. But since I started keeping bees, I have learned that beeswax is pretty amazing. Around 2-3 weeks of age, worker bees develop 4 pairs of wax producing glands on the underside of their abdomens. These glands secrete …
Harvesting Honey
Although a couple of hives did decide to make swarm prep in June, and July, for the most part the bees are now satisfied to stay put, and are focusing on making honey. It looks to be a good honey year so far, and I am busy collecting the bounty of their work. With the …
Madly multiplying bees
What a spring the bees have been having. After an exceptional winter, with 100% overwinter survival, the honey bees at Green Acres Farm continue to exceed expectations. Or maybe I should say that they have completely disregarded the bee instruction manual. My normal spring routine is to split strong hives in early May, as swarm …
Swarm season
As we pass through these last crazy days of yo-yoing temperatures, I have been taking advantage of the warm days to assess my beehives. I love being back with the bees. And it is wonderful to find that this year I beat the odds. My honey bees had a great winter. Of my twenty hives, …
Please excuse my bees
Boy, am I glad that the silver maple trees decided to start flowering today. Yesterday the temperature hit 65 for the first time this year and the honey bees were out in force, looking for food. It was great to see the bees healthy and vigorous after the winter. Unfortunately, while the bees were out …