Management Posts

We face change every day – in life and in the bee yard. Some good, some not so much… some with little immediate consequence. The real challenge is how we respond. This past spring, change came in big, unexpected ways for me and my bees. My wife She…

As beekeepers, we know that robbing happens—probably more often than we think. It’s those little "petty thefts" that happen every day, as bees from neighboring colonies test the defenses of nearby hives. If feral colonies were scattered a half mile …

Introduction Embarking on beekeeping can be an incredibly rewarding experience, but it's not without its challenges. To ensure your first year as a beekeeper is a success, it's crucial to prepare properly and be informed about the realities of beek…

Baby, it’s getting warm out there! We recently received a voicemail from a listener who asked about the impact of unseasonably warm temperatures on beekeeping management. She is not alone in noticing advanced colony growth this year.  A record eigh…

Forgive me if I am oversharing, but I do not enjoy winter. Especially January gets to me. The holidays are over and I find the cold, grey days tiresome. Everything starts to take on the appearance of the landscape in an old black and white photo.  …

Now that Fall is here, honey is harvested and most of us are buttoning up our colonies for the winter, what is a beekeeper to do with all that new-found time? There is lots you can do: Get caught up on all your reading by gather up your scattered b…

Some of you may remember this past spring, I joined Bee Informed Partnership’s 2022 Sentinel Apiary Program. As part of this program, I sent in monthly samples from four of my beeyard colonies from May through October. I also collected pollen sample…

One of the articles I wrote long ago for Bee Culture was about woodenware (Bee Culture, "Wooden World," February 1992, pp 80-87). You know, the frames - both deep and medium, hive bodies, honey supers, inner covers and telescoping covers. I didn’t l…

It is that time of year in many parts of the country where the bees will start to get out on the sunny days, make a quick flight and get back into the cluster before they get too cold. As the Winter wanes, you may see some colonies have this activit…