Question: Due to wholesalers having large minimum orders, I’m struggling to find a cheap source of timber. I’m considering driving to all the local salvage yards, to see what scrap wood I can find to make supers out of. I however struggle to identify which woods are suitable to build hives out of. Are there […]
Above photo credit to Val Wright Q: I purchased a screened bottom board last year to help with a mite count, but I never got around to putting it in my hive. Recently I have been reading several posts on how beneficial it is to use in the hot summer months for additional air circulation. I […]
As beekeepers, we often carry around a hot canister of live coals, otherwise known as a bee smoker. We use a bee smoker regularly in our operation. Here are a few tips on getting the best use of the smoker and smoker fuel without causing a grass fire. Once, at a bee pickup, a customer […]
Photo credit for the above photo goes to Valerie Wright! Thanks for sharing this with us! Over the past 5 years, we have switched our operation to foundationless beekeeping. This decision came gradually, but matches our natural beekeeping philosophies. This post will talk about our deciding factors. Work by Michael Bush has influenced our decision […]
Here’s another video blog post about using extra queen cells to make splits. If you like the genetics of your current hive, this is a great way to save money by raising your own queens with minimal effort. See the beekeeper use his hive tool to cut out the queen cups and then clip them […]
Here is what one customer said about the feral queen and her hive this year. “I wanted to share some photos from my hive inspection on June 13. Those foundationless frames are awesome! I had so many people telling me that using deep foundationless frames wouldn’t work–that the bees wouldn’t draw them out well — […]
We have been receiving loads of questions about checking for eggs this week. Here are some thoughts about eggs. Why do I need to check for eggs? The reason you need to look for eggs is to establish if there is a queen and if she is laying eggs. Just because there are no eggs present […]
To Bring The new hive: One deep box or barn hive, 1 lid, and 1 bottom board. Protective clothing (suit, jacket, bee veil, etc.) Please wear closed-toed shoes and long pants as well. We will have a few extra bee suits to loan for the event, if needed. Gloves Smoker with matches and fuel (burlap) […]
This post is geared to those who will be picking up nucs and want to read up ahead of time. Click Here for a post about what to bring to the pickup. Nuc Transfer Instructions Start your smoker. Find and mark the nuc you would like. Move the nuc box over a few feet and […]
Yesterday we talked to the Utah Tax Commission and asked about sales tax for honeybees and equipment. It turns out that we need to be charging in-state sales tax for our products, especially now that we are selling beekeeping equipment. However, they told us about an exemption for those purchasing beekeeping equipment for production agriculture. Like, […]
Testing your bees for varroa mites is important to do both spring and fall. One way to do this is using the powdered sugar roll test. We like this method because it is fairly accurate, and does not kill the bees. To see how to do the test, see this post. Part of the sugar roll test […]
Looking for a great gift for the beekeeper in your life? Here are a few great suggestions that could fit most budgets, with approximate prices. 1. A new hive tool ($7). These things come in handy and you can’t have too many. See our amazon affiliate store for one example. 2. A subscription to a […]
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 […]
Stan carved this Three-Eyed-Bee-Eater from an irregularly-shaped knot hole in one of his nuc boxes. The bees really like having an extra entrance like this one. We wanted to remind any beekeepers reading this that fall is a good time to treat for varroa mites, if you are going to be treating.
Unassembled bee boxes often come with one side of the wood planed smooth, and the other left rough. When assembling boxes, you will need to decide weather to put the rough side of the wood on the inside or outside of the box. We recommend putting the rough side on the inside of the box. Here’s why. […]
DIY Bee Box Measurements Detailed measurements to build your own box, bottom board, frames, etc. A picture is worth 1,000 words in this case! Here is a detailed schematic of deep Langstroth bee box measurements. Hope this helps you handy men and women who want to build your own boxes. Zoom in for more details.