Beehive frames and foundation create a space where bees build wax comb to store food and raise brood. Rectangular frames hold a wax or plastic sheet of foundation embossed with hexagonal cells serving as a base for drawing straight comb.
There are two primary methods of making creamed honey: the Dyce Method which pasteurizes honey and alternatively, a method that uses unpasteurized, raw honey. This recipe is for making creamed honey using the Dyce Method.
Fall hive management focuses on preparing for winter. Winter losses are common and expensive. Follow this guide to help your bees survive until next spring.
Managing beehives in summer is mostly about assisting the bees in storing honey (for the bees and you) and dealing with some of the season’s extreme weather.
A queenless hive needs prompt attention to avoid the loss of an entire colony. This article describes how to assess if the hive is queenright and what to do if it is not.
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.
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.
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.
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.
