Health & Disease – Keeping Backyard Bees

DIY Providing Water for Bees

Gene Rene' — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 10:43:35 +0000

Did you know bees get just as thirsty and exhausted by heat as you?

If you keep bees or even if you just want to be a good neighbor or a thankful gardener, it's easy to give bees a source of water.

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Hive Inspections During Dearth + Video Tutorial

Gene Rene' — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 10:23:26 +0000

(scroll down for video) Summer time seems like such a great time of year, but if you are a honey bee you favorite time of the year is really in the spring time. Why? Because there is more forage than all the honey bees in the area can possibly collect. In fact it is such […]

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What Are Bearding Bees?

Claire Jones — Wed, 24 Jun 2020 10:21:02 +0000

Congregating bees on the front of the hive is called bearding and new beekeepers often panic at the sight. Bees can mound themselves up in layers or form a single layer on a large area of the front of the hive in a reaction to conditions within the hive. Methods that new beekeepers often try include […]

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Protect Your Bees from Hot Weather

Hilary Kearney — Tue, 23 Jun 2020 20:31:29 +0000

When temperatures rise to extremely high levels, your bees may be at risk. The world is suffering from higher than normal temperatures as the climate crisis rages on, but some beekeepers are also suffering colony losses. Most of the time, bees are best able to control the temperature inside the hive themselves, but when thermostats […]

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Varroa Mite Treatment for Package Bees

Rachel Cunning — Thu, 13 Feb 2020 18:00:48 +0000

Varroa mites can weaken your colony and make your hive susceptible to secondary pests. Oxalic acid is one of the best ways to manage your varroa populations in your hive. Oxalic acid kills 90-99% of the phoretic mites in your beehive. To reach these levels of effectiveness, however, the colony must be broodless. Your beehive […]

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Assessing Hive Temperament

Nicole Gennetta — Mon, 11 Nov 2019 20:11:27 +0000

Have you ever wondered why one hive may act differently than others? Or maybe why your once gentle hive is suddenly out to sting anything that moves? Hive temperament can be somewhat subjective (as some people are more tolerant of froggy bees than others), however, there is generally variation from one hive to the other. […]

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5 Health Benefits of Honey for Children Over 2

Kacey Mya — Sun, 10 Nov 2019 19:41:00 +0000

As your child grows through their first few years of life, it’s fun to introduce them to new things. You get to show them the joy of going down a slide, learning to dance, and eating new foods. Kids have to be introduced to new foods gradually, depending on how many teeth they have and […]

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How to Diagnose American Foulbrood

Jennifer Sartell — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 01:15:57 +0000

Every Time I’ve ever heard anything about American Foulbrood I’ve always heard that the disease comes with an odor. And while this is correct, often, by the time you can detect an odor, the disease has advanced.

There are other ways of telling if you might have American Foulbrood in your hive.

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What is American Foulbrood?

Jennifer Sartell — Wed, 12 Jun 2019 00:21:52 +0000

In the 8 years I’ve kept bees, I don’t hear a lot about American Foulbrood. But I think it’s important, especially to new beekeepers, to understand the risks, the investment and the things to be cautious of.

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How to Clean a Dead Hive

Hilary Kearney — Tue, 05 Feb 2019 18:47:42 +0000

When the worst happens and you lose a hive, it’s hard to know what to do with what’s left behind. Do you try to save the comb so that you can reuse it on another hive? How do you deal with a moth or beetle invasion? What kind of things are safe to use for […]

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