KBBEditor

Israel Bravo has been on a quest for the past decade to help bees and beekeepers. He has been keeping bees professionally for over 17 years and, while working as a team foreman for a large-scale beekeeping operation in Idaho, he was inspired to help his fellow pollinator stewards. Over the years, Mr. Bravo became […]

An herb garden is traditionally a busy place, with bees buzzing from plant to plant, their fuzzy little bodies perfect for trapping pollen and transporting it to the next flower. But declining bee populations means that we can no longer take these beneficial visitors for granted; we need to lure them with a choice selection […]

If you have some extra honey and you are looking to try something new this year, why not try making a batch of mead? Mead is a delicious wine made with honey. Depending on what recipe you use, it can be sweet, dry, sparkling, or flavored with fruit and spices. Honey, yeast, and water Mead […]

Get your keeper a gift that lets them know you get their passion and support their hobby! We’ve put together this list to help you get off to help you earn your gift giving stripes! From practical to fashionable, from high-dollar to low-cost, we have something for everyone! Bee Equipment Get your honey off to a successful […]

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 […]

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. […]

Peponapis: Squash Bees (pep-on-AY-pus) FAMILY: Apidae SUBFAMILY: Apinae These bees get their common name from their very close association with squash flowers. Peponapis is a small genus of 13 species limited to the Americas. They are most abundant and diverse in the deserts of Mexico and the southwestern United States, but one species, Peponapis pruinosa, is transcontinental and has spread […]

A walk away split is exactly what it sounds like. Split the hive in half and walk away. Let the bees do what bees naturally do. Honeybees are predisposed to maintain the species by swarming. A beekeeper can take advantage of this instinct and control the swarming action by creating a split. This keeps the […]

I’ve had a terrible time with mites in my beehives this year and not just varroa but tracheal mites as well. I do not use medications or chemicals in my beehives at all so I searched far and wide for a more natural way to help them out. I know many beekeepers who use and […]

As the beekeeping season comes to a close and my hives need less of my time, I’m confronted with the jars and bags and racks and bowls of beeswax all over my house patiently awaiting my attention. There are a million methods for all things beekeeping out there but I’d like to share this very […]

This is a super delicious apple butter that is easy to make, and you don’t have to stand over the stove and stir for hours. MAIN ARTICLE: Save Money by Canning Food at Home Honey Apple Butter Recipe 12 cups peeled, cored and sliced apples (I really like the McIntosh and Gala apples for apple […]

Download this episode (right click and save) Join beekeepers Becky Tipton, Charlotte Brunin, Robert Riley, and Steve Tipton as they discuss the best way to harvest honey from a Langstroth hive. To hear more podcasts from MOTHER EARTH NEWS and Friends, click here.