Queens – Keeping Backyard Bees

10 Steps to Requeening a Hot Hive

Jennifer Sartell — Wed, 30 Jan 2019 19:14:04 +0000

It’s amazing the way a beehive can have a personality. While the colony is made up of thousands of individual bees, it is the overall collective demeanor of the group that makes it as if you are working with a single organism. If you have an overly-aggressive hive you can change the behavior of your […]

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How to Find a Queen Bee

Hilary Kearney — Wed, 16 Jan 2019 03:52:47 +0000

Finding the queen bee in your hives can be challenging — even for veteran beekeepers. Some queens are plump and shine like a gold beacon on the frame, while others seem to have camouflage. Not only does your ability to find her depend on her size and color, but her behavior, too. Some queens flaunt themselves […]

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The Seasonal Bumblebee

Jennifer Sartell — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 17:28:46 +0000

It’s the end of November in Michigan, we’ve already had several snow falls, the temperature today is 29 degrees outside, and I just killed a mosquito in our bathroom. It always amazes me how resilient insects are. In the winter, I often look across our field covered in white drifts of snow, sometimes several feet […]

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What Do Bees Like? Bees-First Beekeeping Part II

Susan Chernak McElroy — Wed, 05 Oct 2016 18:05:46 +0000

Swarming is a good thing---really! And naturally-mated queens will give you the best chance for a thriving, surviving hive.

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Bees-First Beekeeping: Part I–Mites, Wax, and Sex

Susan Chernak McElroy — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 20:20:04 +0000

For the past hundred years, we've been keeping bees according to what works best for beekeepers. What would it look like if we began putting the bees' desires and needs first? It looks something like this...

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At the Hive Entrance: Look, Listen, Learn

Susan Chernak McElroy — Fri, 22 Jul 2016 22:03:16 +0000

Mostly everything you need to know about your bees, you can learn without ever going into the hive. Sharpen your observations skills at the entry board, first.

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Reasons for Hive Inspections

Nancy Buffington — Mon, 27 Apr 2015 23:37:31 +0000

Each time I open the hive, I risk injuring or killing the queen. Each time I open the hive I set the hive back. The bees have to repair what I messed up! When I first started as a backyard bee keeper I loved to look in the hives. I wanted to get in there every few days to check things out. I did not realize there should be a PURPOSE for each inspection. Here I share some reasons for hive inspections.

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Romancing the Queen

Jennifer Sartell — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 18:59:06 +0000

Learn about the amazing mating ritual of the queen bee and her drones.

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Fix It: Queenless Hive Full of Drones and Honey

KBB Editor — Tue, 04 Nov 2014 19:28:40 +0000

An overactive hive is producing plenty of honey, but it wasn't too active outside of the hive. Is this a case of a missing queen?

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Queen Rearing: A Beekeeper’s Primer

KBB Editor — Wed, 22 Oct 2014 15:52:22 +0000

The crux of a honeybee colony's operation, learn more about the queen's role and caring for your "royalty".

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