A shortage of pollen is a relatively new concern for beekeepers. Once upon a time, pollen was taken for granted. But today, a bountiful and diverse supply of pollen is sometimes lacking. Habitat loss, invasive plants, monoculture farming, and herbicides are just some of the reasons. A pollen grain is simply a small package containing […] Read more
Sometimes little gems of wisdom get hidden within the comments section. In this tip, Jim of Withers Mountain Honey Farm in Flint, Michigan, describes how he bolsters new bee packages with brood from strong hives that might swarm. It is a way to equalize the strength of his hives while boosting packages and reducing swarming. […] Read more
Let’s say you have a brand new colony of bees that is guaranteed to be uninfected by Varroa mites. How does your colony become infected and how fast do the mites reproduce? Let’s take it from the top: One fine spring day one of your bees shares a flower with an infected bee from another […] Read more
Pesticide residues are known to appear frequently in wax combs. Since most pesticides are either lipophilic or dissolved in oil-based carriers, it is no surprise that we find them residing in beeswax. These chemicals can be brought into the hive by the bees themselves in the form or contaminated pollen and nectar, or they may […] Read more
Several beekeepers with foundationless frames have reported finding large number of drone cells in their hives. In some cases, the new brood is 25% to 50% drones. While colonies on foundationless frames always have more drones than those on preformed foundation, the number of drones can seem out of hand. And indeed, vast amounts of […] Read more
I had a request to write about how I start queens using a two-frame mating box such as the Brushy Mountain “Queen Castle.” The Queen Castle is a standard size deep brood box that can be divided into four two-frame sections, each with its own entrance. But the following instructions could be used for any […] Read more
I’ve always stayed away from eight-frame hive equipment. A few years back you could buy eight-frame brood boxes and supers, but it was hard to get specialty pieces like Cloake boards, slatted racks, and escape boards. That has changed—especially in the last year or two—but I still don’t like the idea of buying non-standard equipment. […] Read more