I have had 50% success rate for over-wintering my bees. I like to take a glass-half-full perspective with this. It could be a lot worse for sure. The 50% that do not make it, I try to look at as a learning experience. I try my best to figure out what went wrong.
Let’s back up to a couple of months ago…Continue Reading
I have (so far) a 50% overwintering loss (as compared to last year’s 70% loss.) I’m delighted, and want to kiss them all. However, they’ve already reminded me that they are stinging insects. And turns out that I still swell up when stung, doggone it.
Because last year’s loss of 70% still stings, I’m delighted with 50%, especially because the colonies seem to be strong. And starving.
The ladies are starving!
If you have surviving bees, congrats. Please consider providing feed for them, because there’s not much out there for them yet. I have a handful of crocuses up in the yard. They’ll be really well-pollinated crocuses as the bees are lined up at them. They’re also lined up at my neighbor’s bird, er, bee feeder. Must be something in that feed that’s very appealing, and thanks neighbor!
Here’s what I’m doing about feeding our bees this time of year …Continue Reading
It’s March already and spring-like forecasts are just about here! For seasoned beekeepers, that means we should be out checking for signs of life in our hives and planning any necessary replacement orders. For new beekeepers, the time to order is probably yesterday – but there are still plenty of places to order from if needed.
Here’s What I Know About Buying Bees
First, you can buy them locally if you connect with people and ask around. Sometimes we order too many and need to sell a package. Sometimes we produce nucs to sell and they have actually survived the winter and makes them stronger survivor stock. So, checking out the club’s website offerings is a great starting point and a great way to connect locally.
If you do plan to purchase from a business, the bees are typically sold in 2 or 3 pound packages with a queen. The queen can be marked or unmarked. The marking on the queen is located on her thorax (the body part next to her head). The colors of marked queens are done by the year and it is an awesome system for keeping track of the age of your queen.Continue Reading
Back before social media was so easily and widely used, this website was used to share insights and key bee activities. The blog is no longer updated BUT — there’s some great historical information here, and thus we’re leaving the info here, although some of it may be a bit outdated.