Claire Jones – Keeping Backyard Bees https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com Wed, 24 Jun 2020 15:40:56 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 https://i2.wp.com/www.keepingbackyardbees.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/favicon.png?fit=32%2C32&ssl=1 Claire Jones – Keeping Backyard Bees https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com 32 32 Garden Plan for Attracting Pollinators https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/garden-plan-for-attracting-pollinators-zbwz1804zsau/ https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/garden-plan-for-attracting-pollinators-zbwz1804zsau/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2020 10:40:18 +0000 https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=3930 Many pollinator species have suffered serious declines in recent years. Unfortunately, most of our landscapes offer little in the way of appropriate habitat, forage, and housing. Even the most beautiful gardens are not always healthy ecosystems for pollinators. Design choices, plant selections, and maintenance practices can make a huge difference in creating your own healthy […]

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]]> https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/garden-plan-for-attracting-pollinators-zbwz1804zsau/feed/ 6 What Are Bearding Bees? https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/what-are-bearding-bees-zbwz1806zsau/ https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/what-are-bearding-bees-zbwz1806zsau/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2020 10:21:02 +0000 https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=3984 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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]]> https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/what-are-bearding-bees-zbwz1806zsau/feed/ 3 How to Trap Bee Swarms https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/how-to-trap-bee-swarms-zbwz1906zsau/ https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/how-to-trap-bee-swarms-zbwz1906zsau/#comments Wed, 24 Jun 2020 10:09:38 +0000 https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=4391 Bees are expensive and you don't want to lose the swarms that come off your hives and hopefully catch others to increase your population. For an investment of about $25 in materials with scrap wood, paint, flashing, and lemon grass oil, I ended up with three additional hives with very little effort.

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]]> https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/how-to-trap-bee-swarms-zbwz1906zsau/feed/ 3 All About Swarm Season https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/all-about-swarm-season-zbwz1905zsau/ https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/all-about-swarm-season-zbwz1905zsau/#comments Tue, 07 May 2019 00:44:44 +0000 https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=4380 Capturing a swarm from your hive or from others is an essential skill that every beekeeper should learn

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]]> https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/all-about-swarm-season-zbwz1905zsau/feed/ 5 The Benefits of Joining a Beekeeping Club https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/benefits-of-joining-a-beekeeping-club-zbwz1903zsau/ https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/benefits-of-joining-a-beekeeping-club-zbwz1903zsau/#comments Wed, 06 Mar 2019 23:55:00 +0000 https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=4330 Many new beekeepers and prospective beekeepers are urged to join beekeeping clubs and organizations to learn more about the art of beekeeping. Even experienced beekeepers find themselves with questions and want to connect with other beekeepers in the area. Locally, your state’s Beekeeping Association is one of the best resources for you to tap into. […]

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]]> https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/benefits-of-joining-a-beekeeping-club-zbwz1903zsau/feed/ 7 Creating a Bumblebee Nest https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/creating-a-bumblebee-nest-zbwz1902zsau/ https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/creating-a-bumblebee-nest-zbwz1902zsau/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2019 23:15:03 +0000 https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=4298 The importance of bumblebees as agricultural pollinators can’t be overstated. Unlike honey bees, they are able to forage in cold, rainy, and cloudy conditions, so it is possible to see them in all kinds of weather. Even on a cold morning you can find a bumblebee sleeping inside a flower blossom waiting for some warmth […]

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]]> https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/creating-a-bumblebee-nest-zbwz1902zsau/feed/ 7 Designing Honey Labels https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/designing-honey-labels-zbwz1902zsau/ https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/designing-honey-labels-zbwz1902zsau/#comments Wed, 20 Feb 2019 15:57:34 +0000 https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=4286 One of the most important factors in marketing honey is what to place on the honey label. Clearly, the goal of any product labeling is to capture the attention of potential customers through creative design. If you sell your honey at farmer’s markets, or some other local store, you must abide by state laws. The […]

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]]> https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/designing-honey-labels-zbwz1902zsau/feed/ 6 How to Clean Beehives https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/how-to-clean-beehives-zbwz1902zsau/ https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/how-to-clean-beehives-zbwz1902zsau/#respond Mon, 18 Feb 2019 21:39:42 +0000 https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=4280 In the winter months, just thinking of my beehives bursting with loads of bees and honey puts me in the mood to go through and inspect all my honeybee equipment and replace and renovate. I want to have all my equipment ready to go at a moment’s notice when the spring rush happens. All of […]

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]]> https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/how-to-clean-beehives-zbwz1902zsau/feed/ 0 The Time and Cost of Beekeeping https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/time-and-cost-of-beekeeping-zbwz1902zsau/ https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/time-and-cost-of-beekeeping-zbwz1902zsau/#respond Mon, 04 Feb 2019 18:26:38 +0000 https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=4245 I first became interested in bees by attending local beekeeping club classes. These classes taught me information on bee biology, how to choose the right equipment, and how to set up my first two hives. There are free online courses available and excellent books on the subject, but I found that personal hands-on help was […]

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]]> https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/time-and-cost-of-beekeeping-zbwz1902zsau/feed/ 0 Winter Aconite — The Early Spring Bee Flower https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/winter-aconite-early-spring-bee-flower-zbwz1901zsau/ https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/winter-aconite-early-spring-bee-flower-zbwz1901zsau/#comments Sun, 27 Jan 2019 15:09:36 +0000 https://www.keepingbackyardbees.com/?p=4247 Sunny yellow blooms fringed with a green ruff green poking through snow is my first sign that spring has sprung. Eranthis hyamalis, in the buttercup family, is a spring ephemeral, which means that it is a short-lived plant above ground with a burst of blooms, and disappears, remaining under ground until next winter. Beaming a […]

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