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Bees: Adventures in Sustainable Apiculture

Bees are one of our newest adventures. We started with four hives of honeybees in spring 2009 and are still very much in the learning stages. We're using alternative methods like spring honey harvest and foundationless frames that allow us to keep honeybees without using chemicals.

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Catching the swarm
Posted Fri May 17 07:37:47 2013 by Anna
Our first swarm
Posted Thu May 16 07:08:45 2013 by Anna
Converting a top bar hive into a swarm trap
Posted Wed May 15 06:45:09 2013 by Anna
Do it yourself swarm trap
Posted Mon May 13 16:10:39 2013 by mark
Swarm Traps and Bait Hives
Posted Mon May 13 07:05:44 2013 by Anna
Types of top bars for bees
Posted Sat May 11 07:59:43 2013 by Anna
Cutting down Langstroth boxes for a Warre hive
Posted Wed May 8 07:25:10 2013 by Anna
How to get new honeybees
Posted Sat May 4 07:55:14 2013 by Anna
Spring in the warre hive
Posted Fri Apr 12 07:31:36 2013 by Anna
Spring slowdown
Posted Wed Mar 27 08:28:25 2013 by Anna
Early spring pollinators and flowers
Posted Tue Mar 12 08:50:22 2013 by Anna
Homesteading year
Posted Fri Jan 11 08:08:01 2013 by Anna
Listening to the hive
Posted Wed Jan 9 08:02:03 2013 by Anna
Weighing a bee hive
Posted Mon Oct 22 07:45:55 2012 by Anna
Now the bees finally want sugar water
Posted Sat Oct 6 07:49:35 2012 by Anna
Packing away wingstem nectar
Posted Tue Sep 25 07:38:38 2012 by Anna
Preparing for winter with a varroa mite count
Posted Sun Sep 16 08:06:53 2012 by Anna
New England asters are a good pollen source
Posted Fri Sep 14 07:10:29 2012 by Anna
Opening the Warre hive for the first time
Posted Tue Sep 11 07:50:55 2012 by Anna
How much honey does a Warre hive need for the winter?
Posted Wed Aug 29 07:38:25 2012 by Anna
Vacancies and residents in our pollinator homes
Posted Thu Aug 16 06:54:09 2012 by Anna
Problems in the Warre hive quilt
Posted Tue Aug 7 07:36:40 2012 by Anna
A Book of Bees
Posted Sun Jul 29 07:31:31 2012 by Anna
Photogenic pollination
Posted Sat Jul 28 21:14:56 2012 by mark
Honeybees collecting corn pollen
Posted Sun Jul 15 08:02:50 2012 by Anna
Plantain for bee stings
Posted Sat Jun 30 07:06:33 2012 by Anna
Warre hive box filled in two weeks
Posted Thu Jun 28 06:37:30 2012 by Anna
Summer nectar flow
Posted Sun Jun 24 07:00:54 2012 by Anna
Solstice shower
Posted Sat Jun 23 07:44:34 2012 by Anna
Listening to the Warre hive
Posted Sat Jun 16 07:38:47 2012 by Anna
How long to feed a package of bees
Posted Sat Jun 9 07:46:14 2012 by Anna
Looking up into a Warre hive
Posted Thu May 24 16:16:06 2012 by Anna
Warre hive nadiring
Posted Thu May 24 16:08:15 2012 by mark
Observing a young Warre hive
Posted Tue May 22 06:57:44 2012 by Anna
Package bees more likely to abscond in recent years
Posted Thu May 10 07:01:03 2012 by Anna
Colony collapse disorder is different in Japan
Posted Wed May 9 07:01:04 2012 by Anna
What to do after installing your package of bees
Posted Fri May 4 12:01:08 2012 by Anna
Warre hive vertical top bar pin
Posted Thu May 3 15:53:59 2012 by mark
Installing a package into a Warre hive
Posted Thu May 3 12:00:59 2012 by Anna
Installing a package into a top bar hive
Posted Wed May 2 12:00:20 2012 by Anna
How to install a package of bees
Posted Tue May 1 12:00:59 2012 by Anna
Why did our package of bees abscond?
Posted Tue May 1 07:09:14 2012 by Anna
What is a package of bees?
Posted Mon Apr 30 12:01:05 2012 by Anna
Welcome, bees!
Posted Sun Apr 29 07:43:38 2012 by Anna
Top bar hive observation window close up
Posted Sat Apr 28 13:59:37 2012 by mark
Bee delivery
Posted Fri Apr 27 15:52:48 2012 by mark
Is it safe to feed bees honey from a colony collapse disorder hive?
Posted Fri Apr 27 07:04:54 2012 by Anna
Warre hive quilt box construction
Posted Thu Apr 26 15:59:11 2012 by mark
Top bar hive entrance hole cover
Posted Tue Apr 24 16:10:51 2012 by mark
Top bar hive modification
Posted Mon Apr 23 17:13:45 2012 by mark
How to paint a bee hive
Posted Mon Apr 23 07:55:36 2012 by Anna
Top bar hive: Day 1
Posted Sun Apr 15 17:37:56 2012 by mark
Bee hive density and pollen diversity
Posted Fri Mar 23 12:01:25 2012 by Anna
Natural vs. artificial bee reproduction
Posted Thu Mar 22 12:01:20 2012 by Anna
Different trees for different bees
Posted Thu Mar 22 07:32:48 2012 by Anna
Heat management in the Warre hive
Posted Wed Mar 21 12:01:25 2012 by Anna
Warre hive
Posted Tue Mar 20 12:01:15 2012 by Anna
Peach pollinator extravaganza
Posted Tue Mar 20 07:58:55 2012 by Anna
The Bee-friendly Beekeeper
Posted Mon Mar 19 13:04:38 2012 by Anna
Natural cell size
Posted Thu Feb 23 08:05:14 2012 by Anna
March Weekend Homesteader
Posted Mon Feb 20 10:00:28 2012 by Anna
Backyard bee breeding
Posted Fri Feb 10 12:00:42 2012 by Anna
DIY honey strainer holes
Posted Thu Feb 9 16:39:41 2012 by mark
Swarming behavior and prevention
Posted Thu Feb 9 12:00:42 2012 by Anna
Building a 5 gallon bucket honey strainer
Posted Wed Feb 8 15:12:44 2012 by mark
Michael Bush's beekeeping methods
Posted Wed Feb 8 12:00:29 2012 by Anna
More causes of honeybee declines
Posted Tue Feb 7 12:00:36 2012 by Anna
The Practical Beekeeper
Posted Mon Feb 6 11:00:31 2012 by Anna
Choosing chemical-free bees
Posted Mon Jan 23 08:29:03 2012 by Anna
Problems with extracting your honey by hand
Posted Wed Jan 18 08:15:48 2012 by Anna
Extracting honey without an extractor
Posted Sun Jan 15 08:28:24 2012 by Anna
How to dip homemade candles
Posted Fri Jan 13 08:17:49 2012 by Anna
Wild bees nesting in beetle burrows
Posted Tue Jan 10 08:07:37 2012 by Anna
Warre vs. top bar hive
Posted Fri Jan 6 12:01:03 2012 by Anna
Top bar hive
Posted Thu Jan 5 12:01:00 2012 by Anna
Wild honeybee hives
Posted Wed Jan 4 12:00:39 2012 by Anna
Parasitic fly may cause colony collapse disorder
Posted Wed Jan 4 07:49:05 2012 by Anna
Why modern beekeeping causes declines
Posted Tue Jan 3 12:00:58 2012 by Anna
The Barefoot Beekeeper
Posted Mon Jan 2 12:01:29 2012 by Anna
Overwintering sites for native pollinators
Posted Fri Dec 30 12:01:08 2011 by Anna
Stem bundle nests for bees
Posted Fri Dec 30 08:01:13 2011 by Anna
Nesting habitat for native bees
Posted Thu Dec 29 12:01:02 2011 by Anna
Flower-rich foraging habitat for native bees
Posted Wed Dec 28 12:01:06 2011 by Anna
Smaller bee nest block
Posted Wed Dec 28 08:19:37 2011 by Anna
Wild bees are the best pollinators
Posted Tue Dec 27 12:01:00 2011 by Anna
Firewood bee nest block
Posted Tue Dec 27 08:25:28 2011 by Anna
Attracting Native Pollinators
Posted Mon Dec 26 12:00:54 2011 by Anna
Colony collapse disorder in backyard bees
Posted Wed Dec 14 07:58:24 2011 by Anna
On and off bee feeding
Posted Thu Nov 3 07:41:38 2011 by Anna
Talking about the birds and the bees
Posted Mon Oct 24 16:12:39 2011 by mark
Calculating varroa mites per thousand bees
Posted Fri Oct 7 07:43:44 2011 by Anna
Feeding bees in the fall
Posted Thu Sep 29 07:59:34 2011 by Anna
Splitting hive lowers varroa mite population
Posted Tue Sep 20 07:36:05 2011 by Anna
Bee confidence and honey stores
Posted Fri Sep 16 06:23:40 2011 by Anna
Storing honey for the winter
Posted Wed Jul 27 07:08:38 2011 by Anna
Unconventional nectary plants
Posted Thu Jul 14 06:22:33 2011 by Anna
Split hive brood and honey
Posted Sun Jun 12 06:34:14 2011 by Anna
Hive split success
Posted Wed Jun 1 07:01:47 2011 by Anna
Hive split
Posted Tue May 3 07:04:08 2011 by Anna
Bee hive nearly ready to split
Posted Mon Apr 25 07:27:42 2011 by Anna
Expanding bee brood
Posted Tue Apr 5 07:34:53 2011 by Anna
Pollinator bonanza
Posted Mon Apr 4 07:15:27 2011 by Anna
One hive remains
Posted Thu Mar 3 08:16:55 2011 by Anna
Easiest way to split a hive
Posted Fri Feb 4 12:00:21 2011 by Anna
Treating varroa mites organically
Posted Thu Feb 3 12:00:22 2011 by Anna
How to autopsy a bee hive
Posted Wed Feb 2 12:00:02 2011 by Anna
Spores in the pollen basket
Posted Wed Feb 2 07:44:38 2011 by Anna
Guidelines for natural beekeeping
Posted Tue Feb 1 12:00:40 2011 by Anna
Another weak hive
Posted Tue Feb 1 07:51:02 2011 by Anna
Natural Beekeeping
Posted Mon Jan 31 12:00:34 2011 by Anna
Bees gathering fungal spores from sawdust?
Posted Sun Jan 30 08:53:16 2011 by Anna
Bees visiting sawdust
Posted Sat Jan 29 08:15:25 2011 by Anna
New bee brood in January
Posted Tue Jan 25 07:45:15 2011 by Anna
Dead hive
Posted Mon Jan 17 07:48:34 2011 by Anna
A new farm trend-Spectator Chores
Posted Sat Jan 1 15:43:39 2011 by mark
Experiments in natural beekeeping
Posted Tue Dec 28 11:00:39 2010 by Anna
Testing for varroa mites
Posted Tue Nov 9 07:00:31 2010 by Anna
Double deep, double weight
Posted Sun Oct 31 07:00:28 2010 by Anna
Mouse guard
Posted Sat Oct 30 07:00:28 2010 by Anna
Less successful experimental crops
Posted Thu Oct 28 07:00:28 2010 by Anna
How to count varroa mites with a sticky board
Posted Tue Sep 14 07:56:23 2010 by Anna
Early hive prep for winter
Posted Fri Sep 3 07:23:46 2010 by Anna
Comb collapse
Posted Wed Aug 11 06:57:16 2010 by Anna
Sunflowers and pollinators
Posted Wed Jul 21 08:02:33 2010 by Anna
Double deep
Posted Wed Jun 30 07:22:55 2010 by Anna
Hive box painting
Posted Fri Jun 25 17:16:28 2010 by mark
9 frame super
Posted Mon Jun 21 06:33:54 2010 by Anna
Bee-shy
Posted Sat Jun 19 09:07:29 2010 by Anna
Bees love basswood
Posted Fri Jun 18 07:22:27 2010 by Anna
Honey harvest, part 2
Posted Tue Jun 8 07:54:10 2010 by Anna
How to extract honey
Posted Mon Jun 7 07:24:46 2010 by Anna
Routed by the bees
Posted Sun Jun 6 07:47:09 2010 by Anna
Bee-sitting
Posted Mon May 31 07:39:05 2010 by Anna
Capped and uncapped honey
Posted Sun May 23 09:51:41 2010 by Anna
Queen excluder and drone debate
Posted Wed May 19 12:00:26 2010 by Anna
New spring workers
Posted Sat May 15 08:07:16 2010 by Anna
Adding supers before a nectar flow
Posted Thu May 6 07:26:58 2010 by Anna
Spring planting
Posted Sat May 1 07:23:40 2010 by Anna
Greater bee fly: Bombylius major
Posted Fri Apr 16 12:00:26 2010 by Anna
Miner bees: Andrena sp.
Posted Thu Apr 15 12:00:16 2010 by Anna
Small carpenter bees: Ceratina sp.
Posted Wed Apr 14 12:00:28 2010 by Anna
Sweat bees: Halictids
Posted Tue Apr 13 12:00:28 2010 by Anna
Native pollinators
Posted Mon Apr 12 12:00:31 2010 by Anna
Spring swarm prevention and honey equalization
Posted Sat Apr 3 09:52:02 2010 by Anna
March hive activity
Posted Fri Mar 19 08:22:17 2010 by Anna
Flowers for the bees
Posted Thu Mar 11 12:00:17 2010 by Anna
The (real) first spring flowers!
Posted Wed Feb 24 08:06:28 2010 by Anna
February hive check
Posted Mon Feb 22 08:00:01 2010 by Anna
Our day in the sun video
Posted Sun Feb 21 08:27:03 2010 by Anna
What do honey bees (and bee keepers) do in the winter?
Posted Sun Jan 17 08:38:17 2010 by Anna
Apple pollination and thinning
Posted Thu Dec 31 12:00:06 2009 by Anna
First winter hive check
Posted Wed Dec 16 09:02:56 2009 by Anna
Entrance reduction
Posted Tue Dec 15 16:30:09 2009 by mark
Building a bee waterer
Posted Sat Nov 28 08:55:34 2009 by Anna
How much honey does a hive need?
Posted Sat Oct 31 08:57:55 2009 by Anna
Yellowjacket stings are the most painful
Posted Thu Oct 15 07:00:08 2009 by Anna
Bee cold
Posted Tue Oct 13 17:00:09 2009 by mark
Smartweed for bees
Posted Wed Oct 7 07:47:29 2009 by Anna
Bee healthy
Posted Sat Oct 3 21:16:43 2009 by mark
Hive union results
Posted Fri Sep 11 15:07:19 2009 by Anna
Home made frame perch tool upgrade
Posted Wed Sep 9 18:09:27 2009 by mark
Permaculture obsession
Posted Thu Sep 3 12:00:42 2009 by Anna
Merging two hives
Posted Wed Sep 2 18:23:56 2009 by mark
Animal lessons
Posted Wed Sep 2 12:00:07 2009 by Anna
Corn syrup kills bees
Posted Sun Aug 30 08:50:04 2009 by Anna
Robbing Honeybee Behavior
Posted Sat Aug 29 06:00:27 2009 by Anna
Home made bee hive frame perch
Posted Mon Aug 24 20:20:52 2009 by Mark
Home made frame perch tool update
Posted Mon Aug 24 20:17:52 2009 by mark
When to harvest honey
Posted Mon Aug 24 07:42:16 2009 by Anna
Frame building
Posted Fri Aug 21 20:29:09 2009 by Mark
Hive anamoly
Posted Thu Aug 20 20:27:19 2009 by Mark
Honeybees and ragweed
Posted Thu Aug 20 07:28:18 2009 by Anna
Use moderation with animals
Posted Sat Aug 15 12:00:22 2009 by Anna
Strengthening a weak hive with a frame swap
Posted Fri Aug 14 07:30:45 2009 by Anna
Virgin's Bower and Bees
Posted Sun Aug 9 08:11:23 2009 by Anna
Plenty of honey
Posted Fri Jul 24 08:18:07 2009 by Anna
New method of varroa mite control
Posted Fri Jul 17 07:56:26 2009 by Anna
Animated honey bee inspection
Posted Mon Jul 6 18:11:17 2009 by Mark
Sourwood honey flow
Posted Mon Jul 6 07:26:33 2009 by Anna
Honey news
Posted Mon Jun 29 17:54:12 2009 by Mark
Honey bee landings
Posted Fri Jun 19 17:54:38 2009 by Mark
Bumblee decline
Posted Fri Jun 19 11:27:53 2009 by Anna
How to encourage bumblebees in the garden
Posted Thu Jun 18 12:09:28 2009 by Anna
Bumblebee Identification
Posted Wed Jun 17 12:04:15 2009 by Anna
Bumblebee behavior and buzz pollination
Posted Tue Jun 16 12:04:48 2009 by Anna
Bumblebees as pollinators
Posted Mon Jun 15 12:10:23 2009 by Anna
First sting
Posted Fri Jun 12 07:08:02 2009 by Anna
Bee space
Posted Thu Jun 11 17:35:05 2009 by Mark
Free Honeybees
Posted Tue Jun 9 11:36:43 2009 by Anna
Cat vs bee
Posted Sat Jun 6 18:09:25 2009 by Mark
Galleria mellonella
Posted Tue Jun 2 17:12:42 2009 by Mark
Bees and birds
Posted Sun May 31 17:42:50 2009 by Mark
Honey Bee Forage Map and Black Locust
Posted Thu May 28 07:14:51 2009 by Anna
Peak nectar and pollen flows
Posted Wed May 27 06:58:58 2009 by Anna
Honey bee update
Posted Tue May 26 18:48:54 2009 by Mark
Supersedure and Recovered Garden
Posted Wed May 20 07:53:48 2009 by Anna
Foundationless Frame Results
Posted Mon May 11 07:17:53 2009 by Anna
Queen escape
Posted Sun May 10 17:21:38 2009 by Mark
Bee package install-the video
Posted Fri May 8 20:53:02 2009 by Mark
Rising Waters and Bees
Posted Fri May 8 07:45:52 2009 by Anna
Bee happy
Posted Thu May 7 21:05:53 2009 by Mark
Too many drones
Posted Wed May 6 07:59:45 2009 by Anna
Honey bee egg problem?
Posted Tue May 5 18:00:58 2009 by Mark
Bees storing pollen
Posted Tue Apr 28 08:35:24 2009 by Anna
Flame frame super garlic
Posted Mon Apr 27 17:43:06 2009 by Mark
Bee mortality
Posted Sun Apr 26 08:40:29 2009 by Anna
Honey bee facts
Posted Sat Apr 25 16:47:46 2009 by Mark
Feeding the bees
Posted Thu Apr 23 08:10:05 2009 by Anna
Golden Ragwort Blooms
Posted Wed Apr 22 19:18:21 2009 by Mark
Bee eggs
Posted Tue Apr 21 07:21:46 2009 by Anna
First hive check
Posted Fri Apr 17 09:31:07 2009 by Anna
Day 1 Bee Musings
Posted Tue Apr 14 09:21:56 2009 by Anna
Queen bee questions
Posted Mon Apr 13 21:23:54 2009 by Mark
Organic varroa mite control
Posted Mon Apr 13 08:09:39 2009 by Anna
Bee box color
Posted Fri Apr 10 18:02:28 2009 by Mark
Nailing Bee Frames
Posted Fri Apr 10 07:46:19 2009 by Anna
Standard hive tool
Posted Wed Apr 8 17:30:19 2009 by Mark
Colony collapse conclusions
Posted Sat Mar 28 22:25:46 2009 by Mark
More CCD data
Posted Fri Mar 27 19:47:45 2009 by Mark
Brand New Bee Boxes
Posted Fri Mar 27 08:14:34 2009 by Anna
The GWEN bee connection?
Posted Thu Mar 26 19:58:36 2009 by Mark
Free Beekeeping Equipment
Posted Tue Mar 24 08:06:24 2009 by Anna
What we never knew about bees
Posted Thu Mar 12 12:21:02 2009 by Anna
Covering the bee covers with flashing
Posted Thu Mar 12 08:44:50 2009 by Anna
The Backyard Beekeeper
Posted Tue Mar 10 12:16:04 2009 by Anna
Thanks, Gaiam!
Posted Mon Mar 9 11:37:34 2009 by Anna
Painting the Bee Box Lids
Posted Wed Feb 25 08:12:30 2009 by Anna
Making a Langstroth Hive Exterior Cover
Posted Sat Feb 21 07:17:40 2009 by Anna
Cleaning the Bee Box
Posted Sun Feb 8 08:15:42 2009 by Anna
Bee keeping day 1
Posted Tue Feb 3 17:44:15 2009 by Mark

View even more past entries in the archives.



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comment 1

enjoyed reading about your bees my husband really wants them but i'm hesitant because i have small kids and don't want bites its sounds pretty uncomplicated thanks again j

Comment by Anonymous — Tue Jun 16 08:53:25 2009
comment 2
Our honeybees are surprisingly tame --- as long as your kids don't open up the hives, you'd probably be fine. You should figure on about an hour of work a week to keep them happy. I highly recommend them!
Comment by anna — Tue Jun 16 10:17:58 2009
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