General Beekeeping
Why Do Bees Leave A Hive? (Absconding)
Absconding bee colonies abandon a hive leaving little behind, save some very young bees and small amounts of brood and food. Learn the reasons why so you can avoid it.
Start Smart With Honey Bees
Tips for beginning beekeepers
Beekeeping 101
What Is A Swarm Trap? (How To Get ”FREE” Bees!)
A swarm trap (or “bait hive”) is a container designed and situated to attract bee swarms. We will tell you how to get “free” bees with swarm traps.
Beekeeping 101
Best Varroa Mite Treatment (How To Choose)
Varroa mite treatments have limitations (temperature, brood, population, and honey flow), and should be varied to avoid resistance. Choosing the best miticide requires a decision tree based on circumstances. Using our tree below, formic and oxalic acids are best for full season coverage.
General Beekeeping
Beekeeping Records: Hive Tracks App Review
Hive Tracks, available as a native mobile app and via a web browser, tracks your beekeeping data to help manage your apiary. The developer of Hive Tracks has a version designed for large commercial beekeepers. However, in this review, we will discuss the software aimed at backyard hobbyists and sideliners.
General Beekeeping
Comparing Varroa Mite Treatments (What Beekeepers Use)
Comparing varroa mite treatments among beekeepers we polled, the most popular and effective treatment against varroa mites is oxalic acid. Another organic substance, formic acid (sold as Mite Away Quick Strips® or Formic Pro®) and Apivar®, a synthetic miticide, were 2nd and 3rd, respectively.
Beekeeping 101
Best Type Of Beehive For Beginners (And Why)
There are 3 major types of hives: Langstroth, Warré and horizontal hives like a Top Bar hive. We describe how they each work including pros and cons and why we think you should start with Langstroth.
Beekeeping 101
What Is A Honey House?
(Are You Ready For One?)
A honey house is a sanitary space where beekeepers process their honey harvest. As your apiary becomes larger, you may want to have a dedicated space outside the home.
Beekeeping 101
What Is Treatment-Free Beekeeping? (A Controversial Topic)
Treatment-free beekeepers use no chemicals and limit human intervention in an effort to produce genetically strong colonies and avoid adverse side effects.
Beekeeping 101
Why, What, How & When To Feed Honey Bees
Honey bees collect nectar, pollen, and water to create three nutritional foods: honey, bee bread, and royal jelly. A beekeeper may feed honey bees protein supplements for pollen or sugar substitutes for nectar.
Honey
Why Is Comb Honey So Expensive?
(vs. Jar Honey)
Honeycomb (or comb honey) is more expensive to buy than liquid honey due to its higher production costs and factors of supply and demand.
About Us
I’m Melanie Howard. My husband, Jim, and I want to share with you everything we’ve learned about beekeeping since we started our hobby. Maybe the the ups and downs we’ve experienced can help you along the way.
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