Bee Haven Apiary

08/20/2026

Checking out a colony of bees in a soffit that I was about to remove and give a new home.

08/20/2026

This colony had been in place for several years, judging from the honeycomb. They started off in one cavity in the soffit, and then expanded into the cavities on the left and right. They primarily were using the middle cavity for their brood rearing (baby bees), and using the side cavities for their food storage (honey and pollen.) They were such gentle bees. And now they have a new home!

07/30/2026

If you've ever tasted our honey, you know the importance of real honey. It's unlike anything that is sold in stores.

Unfortunately, there is very little regulation or enforcement of what is sold in stores as "honey". It is really important that our USDA begins to play a role to level the paying field, and ensure that what is being sold really is, in fact, honey. I would appreciate if you would take the time to support this petition.

American beekeepers are facing an unfair challenge.

Honey consumption in the U.S. is at an all-time high, yet American beekeepers now supply just 17% of the market, down from 80% forty years ago.

Adulterated imported honey is one of the reasons. It undercuts American beekeepers and erodes consumer confidence in what’s really in the jar.

Today, I’m asking our beekeeping community to stand together by signing a letter supporting stronger standards for honey.

Please add your name through the link:

https://form.jotform.com/262024349403147

— Rob Wright, CEO

07/27/2026

How often do you get to see a bee hive in a tree up close? Pretty neat to see nature at work.

07/26/2026

Another trap out, this time in a cedar tree. This tree is older and has a bit of decay, so there is more than one entrance to the cavity where the bees have made their home. Hopefully, I found them all and closed them up, so they are forced to use the one that I want them to!

07/23/2026

In nature, honey bees live in cavities in trees. They don't make the cavity themselves, but take advantage of cavities that exist from rot, decay, or other animals. In cases like this, they can live there for years without any negative interactions with people, They just ignore people and go about their beeswax.

In this case, however, the NWS Yorktown Housing staff decided that they wanted them to be removed. Short of felling the tree and cutting open the trunk, there are no quick solutions. The only solution if the tree will be left standing is to convince the bees to leave. This is called a trap-out.

Trap outs are done by creating a one-way exit at the entrance of the cavity, and sealing up every other entrance. Once the bees leave, they will not be able to get back into the colony. It takes a long time, and isn't always successful, but the idea is that over the period of several weeks, eventually all the workers will leave the colony. Whether it is to forage, or to go on cleansing flights, eventually the queen will be left alone in the hive. Most of the time (but not always), she will lose weight due to the lack of attendants taking care of her, and will venture outside to see where everyone went. The idea is that when she leaves, she will find another cavity (the bee box) that is just perfect, and that the colony will take up residence there.

For this trap out, I used a special box designed by Todd Jackson. It has a one way valve on the inside of the box, and the box is held in place by a very secure bracket. I'm very grateful for Todd letting me try out his invention!

07/22/2026

We took the girls to cotton summer camp this morning! (translation: We took our hives down to Suffolk to pollinate the cotton blooms and gather the nectar from them.)

Cotton is a plant with beautiful flowers. They are ephemeral, with the blooms lasting only one day. The blooms are a creamy white, like a bride's wedding dress on the day that they open, then close up after they have been pollinated, and turn a shade of pinkish magenta. They are capable of self-pollination, but studies show an increase of greater than 40% in boll size when honey bees are available to pollinate them. So having our bees really helps the local farmers.

From our bees' perspective, going to cotton summer camp is like a second spring. Very little is blooming in our area in the summer, and most of the plants that are blooming have no nectar or pollen for the bees to collect. So having a crop that has a highly nectariferous (nectar-producing) flower like cotton is a lifesaver for them. Not only do the flowers have nectar in the flower itself, they also have extra-floral nectaries that hold nectar, even after the flower closes up. The bees love it. The queens increase their egg production, the bees have an abundant source of food, and they can even produce surplus honey. Everyone wins.

Of course, it's impossible to move hives by yourself. We are lucky to have some friends to help us with the task. Closing up the bees after dusk when they are all bearding in the summer heat on the outside of the hive is not for the faint of heart, but still, we had help. And carrying the full hives and lifting them into the truck without accidents is no easy task. Nor is driving an hour away with all of that precious cargo. We really do get by with a little help from our friends.

07/03/2026

Here it is, your moment of zen...

06/30/2026

Thermal treatments for varroa mites.

06/23/2026

Pollinators today in the Bee Haven.