Beekeeping

Crocus Hive Check 3-22-12

Hive Check 3-22-12 This is the online version of my hive inspection notes.  More descriptive posts about this hive can be found on the Crocus Hive page. The temperature has been unseasonable warm this winter and the last few weeks have felt like summer.  It was about 70 when I […]

Neonicotinoids Harm Native Bees + Techniques In Queen Rearing – Mass Bee Spring Meeting 2012

Massachusetts Beekeepers spring meeting included talks on Queen Rearing and How Neonicotinoids Harm Native Bees A few weeks ago, I attended the Massachusetts Beekeepers Association spring meeting, hosted by Essex County Beekeepers Association.  The highlights for me at these meetings are chatting with other beekeepers, learning tricks of the trade […]

Blue Pollen, Honeybees and Siberian Squill

My honeybees are now gathering beautiful blue pollen from Siberian Squill flowers. I first noticed this stunning steel-blue colored pollen during my hive inspection on March 22, 2012.  Honeybee after foraging honeybee was carrying full baskets of bright blue pollen and it was magnificent.  The blue pollen comes from an […]

Wax Moths Ate My Plastic Foundation

That’s what I get for leaving a super filled with frames inside my basement – d’oh!  Luckily, all is not ruined because the frames were made using plastic foundation and not wax.  I’ve seen what unfettered wax moths can do to wax foundation and it is ugly!  Yet, still the […]