The last six weeks were not good for the bees. Our queens kept vacating their thrones, and we were left struggling to keep our colonies healthy while they tried to make new queens. We have all the elements of a hit HBO series within our bee yard: restless queens, villains (in the form of small hive beetles), sexual intrigue (Will the virgin queens get mated?) and oppressive natural forces in the form of never ending rain. Continue reading
My husband and I have been keeping bees for a full year now, and I have to admit that we both have become obsessed with this hobby. We started with two nucs last spring. Beekeeping was an adventure from the very first day. On our way home from the bee supplier, bees kept flying out of the nuc box and filling our truck cab. Driving with bees flying around your head can be a challenge! We split our strongest colony last summer, and we came out of winter this year with three healthy bee colonies. Since we just reached our one year anniversary, I thought now was an appropriate time to reflect on some of the key lessons from year one. Continue reading
Married with Bees 