Need A Bee

Hello all! Bee season is fast approaching and I wanted to remind you we will be doing spring nucs in early May, lessons start in April and run all season, and 25’ looks be another great season! Reach out!

My thoughts on the losses faced by commercial bee is that it reminds me of what, how, and when we treat.

The efficacy of honey bee treatments at critical times of the year is essential for maintaining colony health and ensuring productivity. Treatments targeting Varroa destructor mites, who are a MAJOR threat to honey bees, must be applied strategically to reduce mite populations while minimizing its harm to the bees. For example, oxalic acid and thymol are highly effective when used in broodless conditions, such as winter, as they target mites on adult bees without affecting capped brood.

Timing is crucial because mite populations peak in late summer and fall, coinciding with the development of winter bees. I think this is what we are suffering from in the south. “Mite loads” in excess of a 5-7 mites per 300 bees is considered high risk. The low efficacy treatments or untreated hives can cause high mite levels to transmit viruses like Deformed Wing Virus, weakening the winter colony and reducing survival rates. Never mind the dinner size plate of a mite that’s on the bee feeding.

Early treatments in late summer or early fall can reduce mite loads before winter bees emerge, protecting them from viral exposure.

Additionally, season-specific treatments align with colony dynamics. For instance, spring treatments help manage brood diseases and support colony expansion when nutritional demands are high. Conversely, late-season treatments focus on preparing colonies for overwintering by reducing mite levels during periods of declining brood rearing.

Effective timing ensures optimal treatment outcomes, balancing parasite control with minimal disruption to colony health and honey production.

Get ready to hear about varroa mites killing off large numbers of commercial bees. This will create a food scare because bees pollinate 130 varsities of fruits, vegetables, and nuts. We need research and intervention

This early season blend is a great Honey, raw, gravity sieved, and available in three sizes. I don’t have a market planned yet but able to ship or drop off. Reach out and we can line something up! Going quickly & no holds!
Quarts 35$
Pints 18$
Bears 14$

Here are a few pictures of an expanding nuc yard becoming a full honey producing yard.

We’ve been busy catching swarms all weekend and after last week’s rain, it was a welcome change of pace. In the hives we are starting to see honey collection and frames starting to be capped.

We’re adding more supers to our early season nucs and spilts, and they are producing in full force. Keep an eye out for honey in early July.

I’ll be doing all my queen grafting in August this year as we look to expand our number of hives to prepare for a bigger season next year! Reach out with any questions!!

I Spent yesterday with a new client out in western Ct who had a 4 year old hive that has not ever had a keeper work in it. The idea this single hive survived that long on its own was wild. We found 6 queen cells within the hive and a lot of bee work was under way.

This new client explained to me “I like having the bees around the garden and if I know they are happy.. then I’m happy.” The client doesn’t worry about honey or expansion but sustainability. That comes as part of the lessons and the honey is just a bonus. This four year old hive will make honey for this client for the first time in 4 yrs.

I’m stoked people like this exist

Hey everyone! Happy new year! We have been feeding up until this point. We’ve lost a few hives to weather and maybe some to mites but we’ll be back in February. A couple new projects in the works. Any questions-reach out!

Apiguard is a treatment to control varroa mite populations in honeybee colonies. It must be used when Honey supers are removed. We use Apiguard and Oxalic acid before winter to knock down numbers in our mite loads. No hive is “mite free” and make sure your alcohol wash is a good one.

Alcohol washes are a basic procedure, gather 1 cup of bees (about 300 bees) from the hive and you add them to the container. The container is filled half way either isopropyl alcohol or anti-freeze. Yes, the wash kills the bees but the numbers we gather show the strength of the colony and we determine how to treat. Take your time reading the wash for mites and notice what is wax or wood debris.

I think the bees understand. Hive mentality aside.

Crazy to see small blooms still forming around the yards! Stay after it!

Field note: Fall honey is inbound. I think we are letting it fall under “winter storage”. We still have some summer honey.

I get asked the same questions often so I hope you’ve enjoyed the lessons. I’ve taught you how to install packages, queens, talked about pest management, and all that’s involved with balancing a bee yard. Even mouse guards!

So much to do. As we speak, Hive treatments preceded the Fall flow and that should end in a few weeks. We’ll get the hives to weight before winter. Hopefully our mite load will stay low in numbers through the winter. Have a good one! Stay after it!!

3rd place in Alaska!! The uncles are traveling and sent this photo!

This yard is prepped for a fall run and we’ll see what happens!

Allergies killing you?! Reach out for Honey still available!

Field notes: Did I forget to post that I have quarts and bears available?!

Geez it’s been since mid July.. but the honey is here! Reach out as I’m not doing markets this year! It will be gone by end of September!! Like always!!

Queen bee news: I have had a week of 46/60 graphs and we’ll continue to grow. Thought I’d be selling my genetics by now but we requeened old stock. Maybe in the next few weeks I’ll rant about that.

My cousin Clover joined us while pulling last week. She’s quite a worker but honestly she just watches and asks the right questions. Smart 🐝

Quick slide at the end of a conference I attended.. 850,000 neurons make up a bees face!!

I’ll try to get to more of these but cheers, stay after it and enjoy!!

This tool is one way to grade our quality, it’s called a
Refractometer.

Standard refractometers measure the extent of light refraction (as part of a refractive index) of transparent substances in either a liquid or solid-state; this is then used in order to identify a liquid sample, analyze the sample's purity, and determine the amount or concentration of dissolved substances within the sample. As light passes through the liquid from the air it will slow down and create a ‘bending’ illusion, the severity of the ‘bend’ will depend on the amount of substance dissolved in the liquid.

US acceptable number range from 18.0 and under. We averaged 16.9 this season. Another season of great honey!!

Now you know! Keep on!