My mother always told me that it was good to have a life bordered by regular daily routines. She learned will power and firm resolve when she was in the Hitler Youth in Germany. The Youth program was all about self discipline and strong bodies. Hitler was growing a powerful army out of those school…
I’ve kept a close eye on Genesis colony since her last swarm in early summer. She came to me as a Daughter (or cast) swarm in early April, and by early June, she was sending out swarms galore. Four in total by the time she was finished. I get nervous with such swarming events in…
I have had a surprising winter with my bees, and sadly, not in a good way. I have very rarely lost bees in winter in my skeps. But this winter, I’ve lost nearly all of them. And I’m not sure yet why. I started the autumn with five hives (4 skeps and 1 in-wall hive)….
This is a LOOOOONG post, so grab some coffee/tea, put your feet up, and dive in! I learned so very much this summer season in my bee garden! Let me take you on a little trip around my yard, and tell you how each hive has fared this year. First, I began in the spring…
So much has happened since I last wrote! The big event, of course, was my trip to Holland to attend the Natural Beekeeping Trust’s (NBKT)international conference, “Learning From The Bees.” More than 300 people from 30 countries came to speak and share about their natural beekeeping experiences and wisdom.
Spring in the bee yard: Is there any better time of year? Here in the Pacific Northwest, we had a loooong winter with much dreariness, but only a couple events of cold, ice, and snow. Last autumn, I found myself with four thriving hives: Three in straw, and one in my last top bar hive….
This past weekend, I remembered that I had a kitchen. It is a fact that escapes me for most of the summer months. Entranced by my garden and all of the precious tiny creatures who visit me in surprising fashion each day, food and cooking is the last thing on my mind from April to…
It has been five months since I brought my bright and beautiful Sun Hive home, and just three months since I escorted a small cast swarm up a wooden ramp and into its dark and enfolding interior. Small the swarm may have been, but the bees took to the woven hive like they had been…