Beekeeping

Today I’m writing about my bees. If you’d like to read about my most recent bee removal and a dilemma up at the Helmsley Palace hives go to “Bees & Honey” right under the header, click on “Bee Thinking” – “Naming Queens”. No worries, I’ll be back on board with a delicious recipe before long. […]

The last long weekend of summer is upon us and I’m in the mood for Hatch chiles and cooler weather. Labor Day, sends that message of less heat outdoors and more heat on the stove. Traditionally it has been unacceptable to wear white after Labor Day. Do you follow this rule? I tend to follow […]

Finally, I have found a moment to write about the first “Orange Bee” honey harvest. It actually took place on July 4th. When I woke that morning, I couldn’t think of a better way to spend the early part of my day. My adoring husband, who I will now refer to as, my man Dan, […]

Yesterday adoring hubby and I had our first solo mission to remove a colony of bees from yet another water meter. Water meters seem to be a favorite of honey bees for making a home. We received a call from someone in the city inquiring about bee removal – city bees! We downed a couple […]

Today was a successful day in the bee yard. I inspected all 4 hives and I was satisfied with my observations. In hive #4 I caught sight of Queen April but didn’t get a photo today. The wind was up and I am concerned that it will catch a queen unguarded and blow her away. If […]

As a new beekeeper I’m keeping a close watch on my hives as this is the busy season in the apiary. Constant monitoring to be sure the hives are healthy, the queens are laying eggs, larva is visible, and that pollen and honey are evident, is necessary about once a week. I’ve been nervous that […]

So much has happened in the bee yard this week. The interesting thing is, all the events are important and for a bee keeper thrilling. I have so many new photos to share with you as well as adventures to relate. I can’t decide where to start, but I think you might be wondering why […]

Yesterday was a new adventure for me in the skills of beekeeping. For the first time I was able to open my hive, without Mr. Floyd’s presence. He’d said, “you ‘ll need to do it by yourself sometime…”. What he didn’t know is, I’ve been keen for this opportunity ever since my girls moved in. […]

Here I am, day 2 of my new adventure. This morning was drizzly, cool and windy, again not the most favorable weather for my bees. I didn’t even walk out to the bee yard to check on them. As a matter of fact they don’t need to be checked on everyday. This afternoon however, the […]

Today is a day I have long-awaited. I’m extremely happy to announce that my first hive arrived today around 1:00 in the afternoon. Today was not the perfect day for bee transport but that was overlooked and Mr. Floyd delivered the girls as planned. The second hive will be delivered in about a week to […]

Yesterday I met one of the queen bees who will moving to my “Bee Yard” next weekend. I was invited to join my bee mentor, Mr. Floyd for another inspection of his hives. I was pleased that he offered an extra bee suit to adoring husband, allowing him to see what all the […]

Today I was privileged to spend about three hours with Mr. Floyd, my bee mentor. Mr. Floyd has been raising bees and making honey for over twenty years. He knows an astounding amount of info about bees. First he told me I needed to know the basics of the hive itself. We examined frames, foundations, […]