The garden is starting to dwindle. The other morning I woke as the sun was coming up and, I couldn’t tell for sure, but it looked as though we had a bit of frost on the north side of the lawn. The tomato plants are turning black and there are dots of gold and red […]

If you live in an area with the invasive Argentine ants, chances are you have issues with them getting into your hives. These non-native pests have colonized most of California and the southern parts of the U.S. Their massive super-colonies make them difficult to control, especially in the bee yard. These ants can easily overwhelm […]

Before we work with a new package of bees, we spray them with a 1:1 ratio of water and dissolved sugar. Spraying helps calm the bees and allows you to more easily maneuver them into the hive. It’s not a good idea to use a smoker with a new package because you want to encourage […]

Extracting honey every August for 20 years has honed my honey house preparations. Similar to painting, the prep takes longer than the actual work. I never extract in the house, as it will bring stray bees in along with the frames. I have a potting shed adjacent to my bee yard which I have set […]

Beekeeping, especially urban beekeeping, is picking up steam and buzz. When I first attended a beekeeping basics class put on by the local beekeepers club 20 years ago, older men in coveralls dominated and the joke was that the average age of a beekeeper was “from 57 to dead.” As a younger woman in the […]

Bees are mesmerizing. One of my favorite things to do is sit out by our hive and watch the bees bringing back pollen. Even this small glimpse into their world…only that ledge of coming and going is fascinating. In today’s world of sharing our lives on the internet, beekeepers feel the draw to document their […]

The smoker makes the beekeeper’s relationship with honey bees civil. Without the smoker, beekeepers would suffer many more stings during a hive inspection. More stings equate to more bee deaths, so all around the smoker is a good thing. What is a bee smoker? A smoker is a tool used by beekeepers to calm bees while […]

In recent years, the role of wildflowers in feeding honeybees has been widely misunderstood. Yes, wildflowers are a precious resource. Yes, there are not nearly enough of them. But no, they are not going to save the day. No matter how many packets of bee-friendly wildflower seeds are nobly given out and scattered, they are […]

Much of the garden furniture today is made of plastic rather than wood. If you are lucky enough to have a set of old-fashioned wicker or bent willow garden furniture, you can use this Beeswax Sealant Recipe for to keep it in top shape. Yield: 1 12-ounce jar Ingredients 1/2 cup beeswax 1/2 cup grapeseed […]

We’ve been keeping bees for a little over seven years. Over that time, we’ve made an observation that may be purely coincidental, but it’s worth noting. And I’d love to hear what you all think in the comment section. We live in a residential farming community and our property is surrounded by thousands of acres […]

It may sound counter-intuitive, or even irresponsible, to suggest that new beekeepers should plunge full-stop and buy two hives right off the bat. But it is in that inexperience where keeping two hives proves the most beneficial. By all means, if you can only afford one hive, then one is better than none, definitely. But […]

We’ve already experienced a 100 degree day here in Michigan. It’s been an unseasonably warm, sunny May, and we’ve been outside from sun up till sun down planting our lavender field for our U-Pick season. My 19-month-old daughter has inherited mine and my father’s pale Irish skin, which when exposed to the sun, rather than […]

Catching a swarm is one of my favorite parts of beekeeping. Even though my phone rings off the hook in spring with live bee removal requests, I still feel a thrill when someone calls about a swarm. Most beekeepers love to catch swarms because they are docile and easy to remove. But, even the most […]

Beekeeping: an art and science that for millennia has only improved due to the use of the scientific method. Every significant improvement in keeping bees has come from this process, yet, for some reason, there are a large number of beekeepers who refuse to accept science, research, and even the basic principles of the scientific […]

Many experienced beekeepers go without gloves and for good reason— they are cumbersome! These beekeepers trade comfort and dexterity for the occasional sting. But, if you are a new beekeeper or in an Africanized Honey Bee zone, you are probably in for more than just an occasional sting. Personally, I rarely work without gloves. So, […]