Snowdrops for Bees! With this cold winter full of arctic winds, polar vortexes and several feet of snow, it seems as if spring will never show it’s glowing face. It is usually around this time of year, late February and early March, that I find my honey bees foraging on […]
Pollen
Field Day, Virgin Queens And More At The Treatment Free Beekeeping Conference
Field Day, Virgin Queens And More At The Treatment Free Beekeeping Conference Field Day at the Treatment Free Beekeeping Conference was really fun. Dean Stiglitz gave a talk on queen rearing and we even got to graft some queens, Sam Comfort taught people how to make a skep, Dr. Paul […]
Microbes & Bees Plus How To Light A Smoker & Other Hive Inspection Tips
Microbes & Bees At the Beginners Intensive segment of the Treatment Free Beekeeping Conference Laurie Herboldsheimer of Golden Rule Honey talked about her intense passion for the importance of the microbes that live in the honeybee colony. She has done extensive research, reading, writing and presenting about the subject and […]
Crocus Hive Check 4-4-12
Hive Check 4-4-12 This is the online version of my hive inspection notes. More descriptive posts about this hive can be found on the Crocus Hive page. It has been cold over the last week or so. I put the insulation back in the outer cover. The bees have been […]
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 […]
The Bees Were Bringing In Orange Pollen Today
The pollen was orange and the bees had an abundance of it. I wish I knew what it was – snowdrop or crocus pollen perhaps? Just a few more weeks until spring but my girls have decided not to wait. All day long they were busy bringing pollen into the […]