Yesterday, Stan put out his hives for new queens to be mated. The first worker bee came out of the hive for an orientation flight. All of a sudden, a dragonfly swept out of the air and ate her, and Stan snapped a picture. We think it’s rare to have a photo of a dragonfly eating […]
While searching about beelining boxes, we came across this article. Did you ever wonder if there are any SPORTS related to beekeeping? Well, there is! Yes, competitive beelining is an actual sport. Or was in 2004, at least. Like on ESPN at 2:00 in the morning. Crazy! Now Stan wants to do it, of course! […]
Stan has been tinkering with his Beelining box again today. It’s pretty cool. For those who don’t know, Beelining is a method to find feral honeybee colonies. You catch some bees in a specialized “beelining box,” then fill their tummy (honey sac) with sugar water. This makes them want to fly back to their colony […]
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 […]
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 […]
Wonder what goes on in the life of a beekeeper? Here is a quick summary of what we do on the Wasatch Front in Utah. January, February, March. In January, many commercial beekeepers are preparing their hives to send to California for pollination. I read yesterday that the California almond groves will require 75% of […]
It’s almost swarm season again here in Utah. (Already beginning in other parts of the world). Catching a swarm is one way to obtain a beehive of your own. Expect swarms on the first warm day just after several cold/stormy days. You know, just when you are on your way to church on Easter Sunday. Below, you […]
Here is what a honeybee swarm looks like. Swarms are most common in the spring, but can happen all summer. Bees are at their most docile mood while swarming. Here is text from “It’s Swarm Time!” an article from The Utah Pest News, produced by the Utah Plant Pest Diagnostic Lab and Utah State University […]