Bees

Today we announced public access to what the beekeeping community has been talking about for over a year: Beekeeping.io’s map of active apiaries from around the world called BeeCounted.org. These apiary owners are taking hive readings, and uploading them to beekeeping.io so they can be displayed on this map. Adding dozens of apiaries every month, … Continue reading »

I opened one of the hives today to replace a feeder, and heard a strange sound. Not the usual buzzing, but something more like clicking. Someone described it as a crisp dollar bill being crumpled, but I’d describe it as a geiger counter on the other side of the room (OK, maybe you haven’t heard one … Continue reading »

Toughest-cluster-ever. I checked on the last colony I had – the only one that survived over the harsh weather. They were so small, I almost missed them. Clustered between the wall and a piece of comb, I saw them. Dead. I can’t say I was surprised. So, thinking that this time I was going to be … Continue reading »

I went into my last remaining hive today, and the poor girls were barely hanging in there. It was the smallest cluster of bees I’ve ever seen alive, and I was too nervous to touch then and make sure there was a queen under their ball. Knowing how they fight to keep her warm, I think … Continue reading »

I checked the only colony that made it though the winter, and they’re still alive – barely alive. They’d all clustered against the inner cover, clearly desperately trying to keep warm. I found this out by lifting the inner cover up only an inch to peek under it, and didn’t dare take a picture as … Continue reading »

On Cape Cod where I keep my bees, its cold in the winter, with temperatures dipping below freezing in December, and not rising above that until March. If your bees have tons of honey, they may make it though the winter, but if they don’t, you need to feed them. There are no alternatives. Most beekeepers, … Continue reading »

And doing amazingly well. I checked on the hive I combined from two into one last fall, and after the multiple storms we’ve had this year, they’re alive and kicking. I opened the top cover, and found, much to my surprise, that they were flowing out of the inner cover hole. A quick peek under the … Continue reading »

Although everything looked fine just a few weeks before, I put my ear to one of my hives this morning and heard nothing. Not the tell-tale swish of the ocean, not a far away hum. Nothing. I steeled myself for the inevitable, and muttering no-no-no in a hushed tone, I opened the hive. It was … Continue reading »

I’ve done my January check in, and both hives look alive. Typically sluggish as they are in the winter, but alive. At 41F today, and a mild winter so far (almost no snow and some Dec days above 50F), I think the two colonies will make it to the spring, and judging from experience, getting … Continue reading »

In New England, we feed our bees. Not like it’s our special skill, most beekeepers do it, but in New England, where the summers are short, and the nectar doesn’t flow with regularity, feeding is almost a necessity. Remember though, that you’re feeding them sugar, which is not nectar or pollen. But that’s a topic … Continue reading »