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 […]

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 […]

I just recently phased out all of my plastic food storage containers. Now I store our leftovers in mason jars or in a simple glass bowl with some sort of plastic wrap or tin foil over the top. I feel better about not having our food in plastic, however, I do notice that with this […]

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 […]

As Joel Salatin wrote, “Everything I want to do is illegal.” This can often feel true, especially when you want to live a more self-sufficient life. Not all of us are in a situation where we can live in a rural area. Perhaps you have a “city” job that you enjoy, but would like a […]

One of the best ways to encourage, engage and find like-minded people is to start a club. Clubs are a great way to refresh your enthusiasm toward a subject that you love. Interaction, learning and discussion can recharge the enthusiast’s passion and can help you to enjoy an activity even more. Each bee club may […]

Our first experience with beekeeping was attending a one-hour presentation at our community library. It was the first time I spoke to a beekeeper and, if anything, it calmed any reservations we may have had and upped our enthusiasm to the point where we went home and ordered our first hive. We are living proof […]

It has been said that every third bite we eat has been provided by a bee. I don’t know about you, but I like to eat. In fact, it might be my favorite thing to do. So when something comes to my awareness that might impend that favorite activity, I pay attention. In January of […]

I remember as a child finding a small shrub in our wooded backyard with perfectly circular holes cut into the leaves. The leaf had the appearance of Swiss cheese. I remember thinking that the holes were perhaps made by a hungry caterpillar or ant, but the perfectness of the holes was something that I remember […]

About a month ago I had the pleasure of talking with Dave Hunter, owner and founder of Crown Bees, a company that “advocates for, raises, and sells hole-nesting bees that pollinate significantly better than the honeybee.” Dave is very enthusiastic about helping pollinators and has a wealth of knowledge about these important insects. He was […]

There are two ways to acquire mason bees for your bee house. You can supply an alluring environment and draw native species to your yard. Or you can purchase mason bees from a supplier. Attracting mason bees to your yard As I’ve mentioned in previous posts you can attract mason bees by providing the following: […]

There are generally two ways in which you can raise mason bees. You can go at it with a hands-off approach and let nature take its course or you can take some quick and easy additional steps to ensure a healthier mason bee population. Any help really that you’re willing to provide will be appreciated […]

Mason bees look for tiny holes in the wild to lay their brood. Bee-friendly places might be holes bored into trees by other insects or the stems of dried reeds and other plants. Ideally, the hole should be around 8mm (around the width of a pencil) and 3-4 inches deep. The female bee will collect […]

Honeybees tend to get all the attention when it comes to beneficial insects that help to pollinate our world. The sweet honey that they produce goes a long way in moving them up in the popularity contest. But did you know that there are over 4,000 bee species in North America? Many of these bee […]