My Bees Swarm – Spring 2016
The Bees Have Swarmed 2016 It was only a few days before the official start of spring; the grass and weeds had begun growing full speed. It was grass-cutting time. Besides, it was on my list of things to do. As I stepped off the back porch, I heard a big commotion happening in my adjacent … Continue reading
No Hive Beetle Infestations This Year!!!
I have not blogged in a while and the truth is because of the hive beetles infesting my hives; I have been on the fence about continuing my journey as a beekeeper. While it’s a very rewarding job and I feel like I am helping out the environment by keeping bees, dealing with those pesky … Continue reading
Moved my hive in a new sunny location
I did my research and learned that when moving the hive: 1) Wait until dusk or night time to ensure all bees have returned to the hive. 2) Move hive to desired location. I used screened wire to cover the front entrance. Once I got it in place, I removed it. 3) Once at new … Continue reading
What’s That? A Brand New Groove!
This October I inspected my only remaining hive after a couple of months of having no direct contact with the bees due to sheer, unadulterated frustration with the small hive beetles (SHB) that had destroyed the hive that I attempted to establish with a package of bees. The fall season also is a good time … Continue reading
Small Hive Beetles Attack Campaign: The Beehive Terror Report!
For the last few weeks, I have been working to get the “Small Hive Beetles” under control in my two hives. My first beehive went from “strong” to “weak” in less than a week. I think my first mistake was that I stopped feeding them 1:1 sugar water syrup. I figured that there were so … Continue reading
My First Real Hive Inspection!
Everything looks great inside. I took off the hive top and bees were all on top of the inner cover. As a new beekeeper, I really do not know if this is a good thing or not but the bees appeared to be okay. I will admit, I added this top brood box too soon. … Continue reading
My Bees are Bearding at night time.
I am not sure why I went outside to check on my bees; but last Saturday night about 11:30 pm I checked on them and this is what I saw. From my research, I learned that the bees are hanging out because of possible congestion and heat in the hive. The Georgia sun during the … Continue reading
Honey Bee Water Fountain
In the video, you see a water fountain that I created using one of my rain barrels. I turned the faucet on to allow a slow drip and placed a couple of stones underneath. The bees can land on the stones and then collect water to take back to their hive. They seem to like … Continue reading
Dead Bees Don’t Stay For Long
Today, I witnessed worker bees cleaning up some dead honey bees that apparently had gotten trapped under the “entrance feeder.” I read that they removed them but did not realize how quickly they go to work getting them out of the hive. As you can see in the video clip above, the dead bees don’t … Continue reading
African American Beekeeper 