With a box of bees with a mated queen currently costing $225.00 I’m going to try to attract some swarming bees this spring who are looking for a new home. I’ve placed a cotton ball with a few drops of a bee-attracting lemon scent inside this box called a nuk with some empty honeycomb frames. Early spring is the best time to catch them so they will have time to establish a strong colony to go through the winter. They…
In this sub-zero, record-breaking weather I am afraid my bees might freeze. So the other night before the thermometer plunged to -20 wind chill, I went to the bee yard with some blankets. I couldn’t cover the front because they need to get air, even though it’s so cold. I was alone and feared I’d not be able to secure them well. I prayed for “an extra pair of hands”. When I got to the farm, a son-in-law was just…
The term “Beekeeper” entails more that robbing honey once a year. In order to be a good beekeeper, you have to keep a constant eye out for mites, destructive moths, and hive beetles. In winter, it’s wise to provide extra food for them in case they run out of their stored honey. There is no end to the tending. In order to provide my bees with plenty of flowers in summer, I sowed white clover the other day. These seeds…