I’ve learned that after putting them “to bed” in the late fall, the primary job is making sure they have enough food to get through the long, wet winters here.
Read More2020…what a year of surprises; and no less so than in my little apiary.
Read MoreWhen I first got into having bees, I had absolutely no clue how much extra support the little critters would need to make it through a rainy, cold, sometimes snowy Pacific Northwest winter. My first year ended in disaster. Thankfully, my 2nd winter turned out much better. Here’s what I did.
Read MoreWhat was originally purchased for winter use has become an integral component of my year around beekeeping set up. I’m a big fan of the Vivaldi Board.
Read MoreWhen the outside world seems increasingly fractious, the world of bees is a respite. Even when things are a bit challenging in and around the colonies, hearing the hum of bees as they fly in out of their hives is calming, and somehow meditative. Here are notes from the last couple of months of beekeeping.
Read MoreThree recent things I’ve learned about bees and beekeeping
Read MoreIf you have chickens, you might just find yourself getting addicted to beekeeping, too.
Read MoreDid you ever stop to think that bees need water? I certainly never did, that is, until I began setting up our apiary. Yes, it does seem obvious in retrospect (they need it to make honey, after all), but…
Read MoreOne of the first things I learned in a beekeeping class here in Seattle is that what works in, say, Ohio or California can’t be counted on to work in the drizzly PNW.
Read MoreThere was a multidimensional allure to setting up hives on my little farm. For one thing, I like honey. Let me repeat: I really like honey…
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