Early spring can be a tough time for honey bee colonies. During the colder winter months, bees survive on stored honey and pollen gathered the previous year. In early spring, however, these stores are often depleted before new pollen and nectar are available in the quantities needed for robust colony growth. At this crucial time of the year, supplementary feeding may …
For a new beekeeper, getting through the first winter is a major milestone worth celebrating. As a second-year beekeeper, you may find your equipment needs growing as your colonies mature. If you’re a new beekeeper and successfully kept your first colony through the winter, congratulations! You’ve gained valuable experience by setting up your first hive and learning to use basic beekeeping …
Honey bee diseases start to affect the health of your colonies long before warning signs become apparent to novice beekeepers. This article gives new beekeeping enthusiasts basic knowledge of the two most common diseases that affect honey bee hives in North America and beyond. Unlike pests that invade honey bee colonies like varroa mites and wax moth larvae, the bacteria that …
Honey bee pests are a common problem for hives throughout the world. For new beekeepers, it can be a real challenge to know what to watch for and how to combat pests. This series is intended to give new beekeeping enthusiasts basic knowledge of the most common species that invade hives. Honey Bee Pests and Diseases: Varroa Mites Varroa destructor, Varroa jacobsoni What are …
Painting hives is a good way to protect their wood surfaces from the elements. However, there are several important factors to consider — and dangers to avoid — when painting your bee’s home. Like almost every other aspect of beekeeping, a little research will bring up many strongly-held opinions on painting bee hives. You can find information on brands, types and …
The best food for feeding bees in the winter is, of course, the one they make for themselves: their own honey. Besides sugars, honey contains nutrients that keep the colony healthy, strong and better able to fight off parasites. With enough honey, most hives stand a good chance of surviving the winter until the spring nectar flow. However, as the fall …
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 …