What is it about the sugar syrup recipe? What makes sugar syrup so hard to comprehend? Based on the questions I see, making a simple solution of sugar dissolved in water seems to be the hardest, most mysterious, most whisker-pulling task a beekeeper ever confronts. Several times I’ve promised myself that I would never again […] Read more
Tim Gabbert, a second year beekeeper from Williamsburg, Virginia, noticed honey bees congregating at one of his birdbaths and wondered how to keep the bees from drowning. His solution? Ancient seashells perforated with worm holes. He writes: I live in area rich with ancient ocean sea shells that are constantly being pulled from the cliffs […] Read more
If you are in the northern hemisphere, there’s a good chance you are in a nectar dearth or approaching one. A nectar dearth is simply a shortage of nectar-producing flowers. Summer dearths are usually caused by high temperatures, a lack of rainfall, or both. Honey bee workers may become irritable, or they may beard on […] Read more
Based on all the talk you hear, you’d think beekeepers manhandle all their frames all the time. In truth, the idea of an inspection just for the sake of inspection is a new-beekeeper thing. Each time I mention that inspections should be limited, I get a barrage of comments insisting that inspections are a necessary […] Read more
The beekeeping year can be divided into two halves. One half is characterized by expansion, and the other by contraction. Tomorrow we begin the next phase. Whether you live in the northern hemisphere or the southern, the solstices mark the boundaries, the points at which things begin to change. The most important concept in beekeeping […] Read more
