Capturing a swarm from your hive or from others is an essential skill that every beekeeper should learn

When swarm season comes, you never know when you’ll get the call for bee rescue and there’s no worse feeling than missing the opportunity to catch a swarm because it left before you arrived. That’s why I always keep a swarm catching kit in my car! Read on to find out what to include in your own kit […]

1. Don’t get overwhelmed Langstroth or top bar? 10 frame or 8? Plastic foundation or wax? There are a number of various hive configurations and complimentary equipment available, so much so that it can quickly be overwhelming! Bees are adaptable. Pick whatever is in your budget, and know you can always make changes later as […]

Why Join a Beekeeping Club? Many new beekeepers and prospective beekeepers are urged to join beekeeper clubs and organizations to learn more about the art of beekeeping. Even experienced beekeepers find themselves with questions and want to connect with other beekeepers in the area. Locally, your state’s Beekeeper Association is one of the best resources […]

The importance of bumblebees can’t be overstated as pollinators for agriculture both in the field and in greenhouses. Unlike honey bees, they are able to forage under cold, rainy, and cloudy conditions, so it is possible to see them in all kinds of weather. Even in an early cold morning, you can see a bumblebee […]

One of the most important decisions that a beekeeper who wants to sell their honey harvest is what to place on their honey label. Appealing to a consumer and stand out from other honey products, the label needs to capture someones attention. Plus, there is limited space to convey your honey benefits to a consumer. […]

When the worst happens and you lose a hive, it’s hard to know what to do with what’s left behind. Do you try to save the comb so that you can reuse it on another hive? How do you deal with a moth or beetle invasion? What kind of things are safe to use for […]

Ummmm…..that’s sooo good! I hear that phrase over and over when someone tastes my home-grown honey for the first time. Their face lights up and a look of delight transforms them when they dip their fingers into the sticky sunshine. Most people are used to the purchased plastic bear of generic clover honey (sometimes adulterated) […]

It’s amazing the way a beehive can have a personality. While the colony is made up of thousands of individual bees, it is the overall, collective demeanor of the group that makes it as if you are working with a single organism.   If you have an overly-aggressive hive you can change the behavior of […]

The governor of Michigan just declared a State of Emergency for our state due to record-breaking low temperatures. As I write this post, it’s currently -6 degrees F with a wind-chill of -30. So worrying if our hive is overheated is really not a concern right now…quite the opposite. However, coming this spring, I will […]