Part of the fun of beekeeping is that there is always a story to tell. Often the story line doesn't go as planned and the beekeeper (that's me!) has to come up with a new plan on the spot. My spring splits this year were a case in point. Over the winter I lost one [...]
Category: Beekeeping
Nosema Ceranae
Parasites and their hosts live a delicate dance. If the parasite kills the host, it may lose its habitat and perish as well, so most parasite-host relationships develop such that the parasite is a nuisance, but not life threatening to the host. The problem we have with our bees at the moment, is that the most troublesome parasites [...]
CCD onset or Chilly Bees? Nosema!
The bees continue to keep me guessing. A couple of weeks ago I placed the thymol pads on my bees to knock down the mites. The bees never really enjoy this, and often engage in significant hive ventilation such that the entire hive emits the dull roar of fanning bees. Both of my hives [...]
The Varroa Mite Treatment Decision
There is no single answer as to when to take arms against Varroa and subject the mites and the bees to an onslaught of chemicals. But in our area, now is the time that decision has to be made. Temperatures are warming to the point where Formic acid and Thymol miticides are becoming effective, and it's nearly [...]
Battling Blackberries
This is the time of year I go after the invasive plants that live among the big trees on our lot. The worst offenders I have to deal with are English ivy, Himalayan blackberries, and English holly. None is fun, but the blackberries put up the best defense, and despite wearing gloves, by the end [...]
Vanishing Bees
The warm stretch of weather last week provided an opportunity to look in on the bees. Two of my three hives are doing well, with bees filling at least a full brood super and generally a healthy appearance. The other hive, the one that was strongest last year, is suffering. It appears to have the now all-too-common symptoms of [...]
Bees – Turning Nectar into Honey
A few weeks ago I commented that the honey flow was about to begin and that my hives were heavy with bees but very light on stores. A quick check last Sunday (7/18) revealed that the bees have been very busy. The honey supers on all three of my colonies are almost completely plugged out. [...]
Turning Honey Into Bees
In this part of the world, beekeepers want to have plenty of bees in the hives when the blackberries bloom. I saw my first blackberry blossom last week, so it was time to assess the status of the hives. Only one of my three colonies managed to make it through the winter. To replace the dead colonies [...]
AFB or PMS – Beekeeping Diseases
Parasitic Mite Syndrome (PMS) is the destructive combination of mites, viruses, and general malaise that can overcome a colony with a high mite load. At first glance some of the symptoms of PMS can look a lot like foulbrood disease. I ran into this last week. The hive in question started last spring as a [...]
Squash Practice 