mother earth news – Keeping Backyard Bees

Country Lore: Mason Bee Boxes

KBB Editor — Thu, 08 Feb 2018 07:40:55 +0000

Particularly useful in orchards, mason bees (also called blue orchard bees) can visit hundreds of flowers per day. They don’t make honey, but they collect pollen for nest holes where they lay eggs, and then plug the holes with mud. They look like small blue-black flies, and they rarely sting. The bee larvae and cocoons […]

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Essential Oils for Honeybees

KBB Editor — Wed, 07 Feb 2018 18:02:36 +0000

The Polar Vortex landed a blow to the Midwest where Five Feline Farm is located. Many of the beekeepers in this area report a significant loss of colonies over the harsh winter. One beekeeper described opening a hive to find bees appearing frozen in place. The entire colony dead. Our losses are not confirmed at […]

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Carpenter Bees: The Harmless Garden Pollinators

KBB Editor — Sun, 04 Feb 2018 07:32:09 +0000

Bees are one of the most important insects to us. Not only are they great garden pollinators, they maintain biological balance and recycle soil nutrients. Learn all about bees — from their appearance to the many unknown North American Species in Bees, Wasps, and Ants (Timber Press, 2010) by Eric Grissell. The following excerpt was taken from […]

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Methods for Feeding Honeybees in Winter

KBB Editor — Sat, 27 Jan 2018 07:10:33 +0000

Sometimes it is necessary to feed honeybees through the winter, which can be accomplished by using one of several methods. That is the position we find ourselves in here on Five Feline Farm after two colonies have struggled through the fall with apparent robber bees. A colony of honeybees needs anywhere from 30 to 60 […]

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SmartBee Cold Storage: Giving Bees a Chance

KBB Editor — Thu, 18 Jan 2018 19:37:25 +0000

Israel Bravo has been on a quest for the past decade to help bees and beekeepers. He has been keeping bees professionally for over 17 years and, while working as a team foreman for a large-scale beekeeping operation in Idaho, he was inspired to help his fellow pollinator stewards. Over the years, Mr. Bravo became […]

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Hive Beetles, Wax Moths, and Varroa Mites, Oh My!

KBB Editor — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 16:10:14 +0000

Learn about three different varieties of pests in the beehive and how to deal with them effectively.

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A Honey Cocktail for the Last Days of Summer

KBB Editor — Wed, 14 Sep 2016 16:03:18 +0000

This refreshing cocktail uses a simple syrup made of honey that is simple to make indeed! No mead needed.

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