East Texas Bees

08/01/2023

You just might be a beekeeper if:

-911 calls you for an emergency.
-You get stung and it's your fault.
-You're sad when you get stung only because you know the bee will die.
-Driving around with bees in your window doesn't bother you.
-You go to the store for eggs and come back with a car full of sugar.
-Your freezer has no room for meats.
-You're excited when the news reports a high pollen day.
-You avoid mowing the lawn because of the clovers and dandelions.
-You know your queens birthdays but not your wife's.
-You misspell words like "beehave" & "beecause".
-The post office has you on speed dial.
-The flow hive has actually made your life more complicated.
-You walk in the shadow of Morgan Freeman.
-You think you're as cool as Morgan Freeman.
-Enough about Morgan Freeman!
-Quit asking about the Flow Hive!!!
-You know what "propolis" is.
-People act surprised when they hear you did "splits".
-You didn't know your "Russian girls" were hot until after you bought them.
-You know the "waggle dance".
-You mention installing a "nuke" (nuc) in your backyard and people stare.
-You smell like smoke but you haven't been camping.
-Your car is covered with mustard spots.
-The neighbors think you care about every hornets nest they see.
-You plan weddings & vacations around the honey harvest.
-Your first pound of honey cost you eight hundred dollars!!

06/09/2023

04/25/2023

Found this gem today. This is a beekeeper in southern Mexico. I love how careful he has been to protect his b***o!

04/09/2023

If you watch closely right before the eyes start to darken you'll see varroa mites crawling around on the pupae.

04/04/2023

If anyone is looking for Vitex I have 6 seedlings available

03/31/2023

While most of this is pretty danged accurate....the smoking part is not. A while back I had some bees that would definitely qualify as 'hot'. I needed a couple of frames of brood from that hive and was out of smoker fuel. I braced myself and went into the hive. It was like they were completely different bees! They hated the smoke.
So I started experimenting with not using smoke and then actually bred for the characteristic. It is so much more pleasant to work bees without smoke! The key is to move smoothly without jarring and without mashing bees.
I now buy hive tools in bulk and keep a handful of regular screwdrivers in the truck just in case. 😂

03/23/2023

Terry G Burkett you sent me a message and for some reason I'm unable to reply. Also there was no picture. If you'll post the picture here I'll be happy to answer.

12/08/2022

Hope everyone is keeping an eye on the weight of your hives.
If you don't already, get in the habit of lifting the back of your hive just enough to feel the weight of it.
During warm weather like this when there isn't anything to gather, your bees can eat a lot of their honey very quickly and end up starving out.
We tend to worry about our bees starving due to cold but in our area they are more likely to starve due to being too active during a time when they would normally be inactive and hanging in a cluster.

11/30/2022

If anyone that bought bees from me previously still has those bees please contact me.
I had to quit keeping bees about 4 years ago due to kidney failure. I was blessed with a kidney transplant and I am finally able to keep bees again.
I would really love to get my genetics back. I will be happy to buy bees, raise queens from your bees, do a trade for nucs or queens, come work your hives with you, etc.