There is conventional beekeeping in Langstroth hives. And then, there is beekeeping a wholly “other way.”

Bee stings can be deadly if a person is allergic to the venom. If you or a family member is allergic to bee stings and gets stung, remove the stinger and seek emergency medical attention right away. Do not rely on a natural bee sting treatment alone. Use an EpiPen (epinephrine auto-injector) if you have one. Any […]

In my opinion, there is nothing more olde-kitchen, Americana, hearth and home than a pie. Some of my favorite pies are what I like to call “Humble Pies”. And not in the sense of the proverbial gesture to be more unpretentious. But more in the sense of humble ingredients. Things you have on hand, in […]

Markus Imhoof outlines many of the problems facing beekeepers today in his book More Than Honey: The Survival of Bees and the Future of Our World, which Imhoof had originally produced as a documentary. His slant is strongly pro-bees and anti-pesticides and, in conjunction, anti-commercial agriculture. In particular, I found his interviews with a large […]

We’re starting to experience temperatures in the 30’s here in Michigan. The trees in our yard are bare of their leaves and it’s starting to look like winter. The sky has that long shadowy dreariness where even at the sun’s peak there’s still a hint of dusk.   In the winter, moisture is the bee […]

We have decided what to do with the top bar hive for winter. We last examined it in mid-October to check out how much food it had. There are 14 or 15 full-size combs drawn out. The four in front had each had brood, but were mostly empty when we examined them. There was honey […]

Making nucleus hives or “nucs” is a good way to expand your apiary without spending a lot of money and without the worry of introducing Africanized genetics from packaged bees. (Now that Africanized bees inhabit our more southern states, this is a concern.) You also will be creating queens that are best acclimated to your […]

Pumpkin Custard 1 cup milk 1 package (8 ounces) light cream cheese, softened 1⁄2 cup brown sugar 1⁄4 cup honey 2 eggs 1 cup pumpkin 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 teaspoon allspice 1 teaspoon cinnamon Whipped cream, optional Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 6 ramekins or custard cups; set aside. In a saucepan, combine milk, cream […]

1 ¼ cup coconut oil ¾ cup cocoa powder 4 tbsp  honey 3 tsp vanilla extract ¾ cup nut butter (we used peanut butter) salt to taste Line a muffin tin or mini-muffin tin with paper cupcake liners and set aside. In a saucepan, heat 1 cup of coconut oil over low heat until melted. […]