In the third and final article in our series on populating new hives, we discuss purchasing fully-established hives. While novice beekeepers can greatly benefit from starting off with a colony that is already up-and-running, there are things to watch out for. Experienced beekeepers will usually buy package bees or nucleus colonies to populate their hives as the weather warms. For new …
In Part II of our series, we continue our discussion of ways to add honey bees to a new hive. Capturing feral swarms of bees is certainly an exciting and economic method, but requires the right timing and careful planning. Whatever method you use, be sure to keep your safety — and the well-being of the bees — a top priority. There’s …
There are many ways to add bees to a newly purchased hive. After choosing a good location, assembling your hive and gathering the necessary tools, it’s time to decide how you will obtain your bees. In this first of three Learning Center articles on these options, we cover the positive and negative aspects of using a nucleus, or nucs, to establish …
One of the most frequent questions we hear new beekeepers ask is how to tell supersedure cells from swarm cells. While at first it may seem difficult to tell these two types of queen cells apart, with a little help you’ll find you can identify which one is which. What is a Cell? To understand the difference between a supersedure cell and …
Controlling Varroa mites is essential for maintaining healthy and productive bees. If you see signs of this parasite in your colonies, the right suite of tools is needed to successfully limit the consequences of an infestation. The Bee Gym is a great way to make the bee’s natural grooming behaviors more effective at removing these mites. Why are Varroa Mites Dangerous for My …
We get a lot of questions about measurements and sizing for the different bee suits we offer, so we've compiled a sizing chart to help everyone out. If you are in the market for a new suit, pair of trousers, jacket or a hat-veil combo, this will help guide you to the proper fit. View the PDF version - Dadant Sizing Chart
Varroa mites can quickly become a very serious problem for bees and bee keepers. To keep your colony safe from the effects of this parasite, be sure to perform periodic inspections. Using the EasyCheck system from Véto-pharma makes the process simple and provides an accurate assessment of the infestation in a hive. What are Varroa Mites? Varroa mites are external parasites of …
A week after installing your package bees, it’s time to perform your first hive inspection and see if the bees have accepted the queen and started to draw out the foundation. Getting Ready for the First Hive Inspection For this first inspection, we suggest wearing some level of protective clothing. Depending on your experience with beekeeping, you may be comfortable with minimal …