As an avid beekeeper, I’ve long wondered – can honey bees truly recognize me as an individual caretaker, responding differently to my presence compared to strangers? Or in the mind of the hive, am I largely perceived as any other large, looming, pulsating threat whenever I visit my colonies? While there is still limited controlled …
One of the most common questions I hear from new beekeepers is “How much honey can I expect to harvest from a single beehive?” It’s natural to try to estimate the potential payoff from your new colony investment. I remember wondering the same when starting out years ago. After gaining experience, I now know honey …
As my backyard apiary began growing beyond just a couple hives, an important practical question arose – how closely together can I physically place multiple beehives in the same location without causing issues? While it’s tempting to cluster hives tightly together to maximize efficient use of limited space, having them spaced too near inevitably leads …
As a backyard beekeeper, one key decision I faced when first establishing my apiary was how far the beehives should be positioned from my house and high-traffic living areas. While it’s tempting to site hives in the most convenient locations, proximity to human spaces brings some risk of defensive bees interacting with people. So after …
As an avid beekeeper for over 20 years, I’m often asked by beginners what is the one most important fundamental rule of beekeeping that serves as the foundation for everything else. What is that “first rule” that all other guidance builds upon? After two decades of experience nurturing hundreds of hives, I believe the singular …
What Is the First Rule of Beekeeping? Don’t Be Afraid Read More »
When I first contemplated getting into beekeeping, one key question was how large of a bee population I needed to start with. Beginners are often tempted to save money and effort by going small – get the bees established, then let them build up over time. But undersized starter colonies pose risks. After seeing both …
As a beekeeper, requeening colonies is a regular task required to maintain healthy and productive hives. While allowing the bees to raise a new queen from existing brood is common, sometimes I’ll introduce a mated queen purchased from a breeder. But queen cells can take weeks to mature and mated queens are expensive, so occasionally …
As a hobby beekeeper, I’m always looking for ways to keep costs down while building my apiary. So I often get asked by newbies if it’s possible to start a beehive without purchasing bees from a supplier. The packages of bees for sale aren’t cheap, so some seek alternatives to avoid that upfront cost. While …
As an avid beekeeper for over 15 years, I’m often asked by aspiring apiarists if there are any significant drawbacks to raising bees they should consider. While I’m extremely passionate about beekeeping and focus mostly on the many rewards, I also try to give an honest assessment of the not-so-fun aspects as well. Beekeeping is …
As an avid beekeeper, I’m often asked how many times honey can be harvested in a single season from a beehive. Many people assume you only get one honey yield per year. But the truth is, in many areas, bees produce harvestable honey multiple times annually from different nectar flows. That said, honey production isn’t …
