When temperatures rise to extremely high levels, your bees may be at risk. The world is suffering from higher than normal temperatures as the climate crisis rages on, but some beekeepers are also suffering colony losses. Most of the time, bees are best able to control the temperature inside the hive themselves, but when thermostats […]

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 […]

For Northern beekeepers, it is way past the time to prepare for winter, but in the southeast, we still have 90° F days and the goldenrod is finally in full bloom! The weather this year has been a complete downer with it raining almost every day from 03 June until 09 September and then Hurricane […]

In my experience, most new beekeepers are worry worts. They spend a lot of energy fretting over their bees, but mostly they focus on the wrong things. Read on to find out what you can stop stressing out about! 1. Cooling the Hive  Honey bees like to keep their brood nests between 90-97F (32-25C) degrees. […]

Most new beekeepers make the mistake of starting with just one hive. It makes sense. Beginners are often hesitant to get any bees at all! A second hive might seem to you like more work, more responsibility and it doubles the cost of your new hobby. So, why do experienced beekeepers recommend you start with at least […]

You really don’t need to know a lot to bring home your first bees. Just take care of some important basics, and learn as you go.

Unwrapping a brand new, wooden beehive is exciting! Most kits come with a few tools and simple veil to round it out which makes you feel like you’ve got everything you need to start keeping bees. A popular Costco kit proclaims on the box, “All you need to add is a package of bees!” Unfortunately, it’s […]

  Once you become a beekeeper, everyone you know will start buying you bee themed gifts. Your house will quickly fill up with cute, but useless bee tchotchkes. How many ceramic skeps can one person have? Okay, maybe you actually like bee trinkets so I have included a few, but I have balanced them with some […]

I often get this question from bee-curious people. It is the first hurdle of becoming a beekeeper: Can it work in my backyard? There are many things to consider before getting started with bees, but preparing the physical space your bees are to inhabit is an important one! Let’s delve into what you need to know. Delegating Space  A […]