Out on a walk today, my girls and I took some photos of honeybees on grape hyacinths. They were so pretty I thought I’d share!
Author Archives: thehoneycompany
Hands-On Beekeeping Course Photos
Here are some photos of the hands-on beekeeping class on March 14. Derek Haynie, the expert photographer, took these pictures. Thanks, Derek! We’re looking forward to the next class installment on March 21. Here is the class gathered around a few of Stan’s hives. The goal for today was to see workers, drones, the queen, […]
Pysanka 2014
We had a homeschool group come over to do Pysanka eggs with beeswax candles. We were learning about Russia and the Ukraine in a geography club. We use a hot stylus to apply beeswax designs to a hollowed egg. The stylus has a little cup that holds a reservoir of melted wax and a hole […]
Moving Bees at the turn of the Century
We’ve been studying C.C. Miller’s book Fifty Years Among the Bees and came across some photos of how people moved bees by hand or with horses. If there ever is some sort of apocalypse and we need to live without electricity and gasoline, beekeeping is still doable! The prepper in me thinks this awesome! I wonder […]
Beehives in Slovenia
A while back, I visited Slovenia. I was in the Carniolan region, actually, and didn’t know about the connection to honey bees. (Ignorant American that I am, I cannot read Russian or Slovene.) When I came home and realized a major breed of honey bees originated in this region, I dug out the old photos […]
Pollen Basics
Here is a basic explanation of pollen and some photos of how it is stored in the hive. Honeybees collect pollen from flowers. Some of it is transferred to other flowers, fertilizing the flower so a plant can produce fruit. (Pollen is essentially the “sperm” to fertilize the flower “egg.”) Worker bees bring pollen […]
Happy Valentine’s Day!
Wishing you a happy Valentine’s Day with this vintage honeybee valentine.
Queens from MPCAP Program
Our queen and package supplier is part of the Managed Pollinator CAP program, which tests for hygienic bee behavior. We are excited to be part of the bee decline solution by supporting these producers. They test breeder queens for the recessive genetic trait, hygienic bee behavior. Hygienic behavior is when workers bees sense a missing […]
The case for a ‘local first’ mentality
The case for a ‘local first’ mentality. The article below was copied and pasted from KSL.com. Here is the URL link. http://www.ksl.com/?sid=21721728. Who needs more reasons to buy local? I guess we all do. This article talks about purchasing at a local store 1 out of 10 shopping trips. If you are considering buying bees, […]
Should I get a 2- or 3-pound package?
First of all, if you are a brand new beekeeper, please consider purchasing a nuc. See Lesson 1: Nucs and Packages. You will have more success with a nuc. Promise. Then next year, when you are addicted to bees, get some packages. If you have decided on packages (find our more about packages here), you […]
What’s happening to our honey bees?
This article is from my days working for USU Extension. Thought it was appropriate to share here. What’s happening to our honey bees? By Alicia Moulton Honey bees are on the decline throughout the world. Here’s why. Honey bee Colony Collapse Disorder is a complex matter with many contributing factors that have compounded over […]
Queen Bee
We found this photo of a queen bee in Grandpa’s files and wanted to share. Can you spot her? Queen bees have a longer abdomen and are larger than the other worker bees present. Here you see her laying an egg in a cell of honey comb.
Bees vs Wasps
We often get calls for swarm removal. Before heading out, we like to make sure the colony we are dealing with is honey bees and not wasps. Here are some of the major similarities and differences between bees and wasps. In this photo, you can see bees and wasps drinking from the same sugar syrup, […]
Why we use deep boxes exclusively
We only use and sell deep boxes. This is a management preference. All beekeepers do things a bit differently and this is our favorite way. We think our way is more efficient because we don’t have to store several sizes of boxes and frames. (And we’ve had 25 years plus 4 generations of experimentation. Trust […]
Bees on the front entrance of the hive
Often in hot summer weather, bees gather around the entrance porch of their hive to cool off. This is normal. It would also be normal to see 2-3 times as many bees as this. When this photo was taken, it was more than 90 degrees Fahrenheit in early evening. Bees pictured are calm and walking […]
Water Sources for Honeybees
Do I need to provide water for my honeybees? This depends on where you live. In Utah, in an isolated desert area, the answer is definitely yes. In a residential area, where broken sprinklers, and fountains abound, you may not need to, but it would be a considerate thing to do if your bees have […]
Characteristics of Honey
Honey is yummy Honey has a delicious, varied, delicate flavor. The flavor depends on the nectar bees gather to make the honey. Honey from dandelion nectar tastes different from honey produced from linden tree nectar or lavender nectar. Nectar variations can result in different color, and texture as well. Heating honey above about 110 […]
Package Pickup 2013
We traveled to Northern California to pick up 2013 packages. Here we are, back in Utah and unloading. About half of our packages were sold as such and half will be turned into nucs and then sold. All who ordered picked up their packages successfully. This is a feat in itself with order changes, date […]
What should I focus on as a beginning beekeeper?
Honeybee on parsnip flowers With an overwhelming amount of beekeeping information out there, what should I focus on during my first year of beekeeping? The first year of beekeeping needs to be spent on the “basics” of bee management. After you have a bit of experience, you can start experimenting with different management practices, queen […]
Recommended Beekeeping Manual
I recently came across a new (to me) beekeeping manual put out by the University of Minnesota Extension Bee Lab. I am a long time admirer of Dr. Marla Spivak and her work on hygienic bees. I was delighted to find a beginning beekeeping manual put out by her lab and associates, Dr. Basil Furgala, […]