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  • Bees
    • Bees 101
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Honey, Recipes

All About Honey Water



While the effect of honey is similar to sugar’s effect, honey is well known for being more nutritious, and therefore healthy. But the truth about that is about to be revealed in today’s post in which we’ll discover if honey is indeed the better option.

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Bees 101, Equipment & DIY, Hive Plans, Hive Types,

The Best Beehives for Beginners



I can see in their face that they expect a finite answer. They want my blessing or a warning against a certain hive style, but they are destined for disappointment. As with so many questions in beekeeping, my answer is not a simple “yes” or “no”. Read on for an exploration of this common query.

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Buying Bees, Earn Your Stripes,

Tale of a New Beekeeper



I am a third-year beekeeper in Northern Vermont. My husband and I own a store in a small town where our customers are more like friends and family. I have one friend in particular who comes in every day, a native Vermonter. He’s a farmer, logger, and a beekeeper. My husband loves honey and we […]

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Health Benefits, Honey,

Honey vs. Sugar



It’s an old story that sweeteners can be bad for our health if we use them excessively, but the question is which one is better for our health – sugar or honey? While the effect of honey is similar to sugar’s effect, honey is well known for being more nutritious, and therefore healthy. But the […]

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Hive Products, Honey,

How to Sell Honey at the Farmers’ Market



Beekeepers have so much knowledge and experience when it comes to honeybee behaviors, biodiversity, and weather impact on bees, and they’re often very passionate about sharing their knowledge with others. If you’re a beekeeper at the market, you want to make sure your booth will attract and keep customers’ attention so you can increase your sales, share information, and keep customers engaged. Read on for 4 suggestions to improve your booth at farmers’ markets.

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Bees, Breeds of Bees,

The Sneaky Behavior of Cuckoo Bees



Cuckoo bees are closely related to their host species. Their appearance and size will depend on the host species. For example, if their host species is bumblebees then they will look like bumblebees. The difference is, cuckoo bees will always be solitary.

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Bees, Swarming, Swarms,

All About Swarm Season



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

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Bees, Swarming, Swarms,

How to Make a Swarm Catching Kit



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 […]

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Bees, Bees 101, Earn Your Stripes,

10 Quick Tips for New Beekeepers



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 […]

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Bees & Law, Bees 101, Buying Bees, Earn Your Stripes,

The Benefits of Joining a Beekeeping Club



Many new beekeepers and prospective beekeepers are urged to join beekeeping 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 Beekeeping Association is one of the best resources for you to tap into. […]

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Health Benefits, Honey,

Local, Raw, Pure or Natural Honey?



Sometimes it feels like you need to be a lawyer or a chemist to really understand what you’re buying from the grocery store. Wouldn’t it be nice if food was just food and we could read a label and take it at face value? Unfortunately, that is not the case. In recent years, many companies […]

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Equipment, Equipment & DIY, Honey,

The Best Methods for Uncapping Honey



Uncapping our honey harvest is probably the most satisfying job on our farm. Watching that luxurious curl of wax that slices off the frame and rolls away revealing the smooth golden honey is one of life’s great pleasures. There are several ways to uncap your honey frame. Whichever you choose, the end goal is to […]

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Bees, Breeds of Bees, Pollinator News, Why Bees?

Creating a Bumblebee Nest



The importance of bumblebees as agricultural pollinators can’t be overstated. Unlike honey bees, they are able to forage in cold, rainy, and cloudy conditions, so it is possible to see them in all kinds of weather. Even on a cold morning you can find a bumblebee sleeping inside a flower blossom waiting for some warmth […]

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Bees & Law, Hive Products, Honey,

Designing Honey Labels



One of the most important factors in marketing honey is what to place on the honey label. Clearly, the goal of any product labeling is to capture the attention of potential customers through creative design. If you sell your honey at farmer’s markets, or some other local store, you must abide by state laws. The […]

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Equipment, Equipment & DIY, Storage & Usage

How to Clean Beehives



In the winter months, just thinking of my beehives bursting with loads of bees and honey puts me in the mood to go through and inspect all my honeybee equipment and replace and renovate. I want to have all my equipment ready to go at a moment’s notice when the spring rush happens. All of […]

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  • Home
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