According to Hubby’s spreadsheet, 50 hives going into the spring nectar flow is the magic number at which the apiary will become financially viable, based on honey sales alone. We weren’t there at the start of spring this year, and probably won’t harvest any more honey this year as we’re letting our hives keepContinue reading “50 Hives and Counting….”
Category Archives: Hive equipment
Strong hives, fewer small hive beetles.
Changes: We’ve made a few changes this year which have led to stronger hives. We did complete inspections on 75% of the hives at the end of last week and saw maybe 20 small hive beetles in total. Since moving here, we’ve seen that many in the lids of the hives in the worse cornerContinue reading “Strong hives, fewer small hive beetles.”
My favorite time of year.
Little evokes as much childlike joy in me as the sight of the first crocus or early daffodil. I think it has a lot to do with the long winters of England and Germany those first 27 years of my life. A daffodil pushing up through the snow and blooming bright yellow was always suchContinue reading “My favorite time of year.”
Cause for celebration!
While our spring results are not perfect, we are very happy to have only lost two hives this winter. I thought we went into winter with over 20 hives, but when I updated the records yesterday morning, I found that we have 15 hives. However, that makes the percentage we lost this winter even betterContinue reading “Cause for celebration!”
What’s going on?
Last week, I mentioned that our one hive in the city was abandoned right after the eclipse. The bees were a swarm capture, and they were doing really well, so it was a surprise to walk up there one day and find no bees whatsoever. What’s currently more surprising is that there are no beesContinue reading “What’s going on?”
Battening down the (bee) hatches
With family in Texas still recovering from Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma a threat to family in Georgia and South Carolina, we’re a little anxious over what the next few days will bring, but also counting our blessings as so many others are in far more dangerous situations. We also have even more opportunities toContinue reading “Battening down the (bee) hatches”
Pollen Substitute and Regicide
I guess I need to start by telling you that the pollen substitute did not cause the regicide — I was an accessory to that crime, but I have no idea of how hubby actually disposed of the evil queen once I helped catch her! We have another hive that has just become more andContinue reading “Pollen Substitute and Regicide”
Lazer Creek Apiary 