Monthly Archives: May 2022

Buvay Zdorov

by

I have plans this summer that don’t involve posting edited beekeeping videos. A full-time job and other interests take precedence this time. Things repeat themselves anyway. Making splits, installing queens, extracting honey, etc. — just look at what I posted last summer or the summer before, back to 2010. Not much really changes. I will, however, continue to post pics and video clips on my social media feeds — Twitter, Instagram and Facebook. I hope you have a calm summer. Don’t take anything too seriously. Adios.

Revisiting The Magic Forest

by

Taking a peek at a colony I plan to split this year. I hope.

I’ve got at least two colonies that are in tip top shape.

00:00 — Top box packed with bees.

01:35 — Review of my basic hive set-up. Includes open bottom entrance, top notched inner cover entrance, black-painted hives and a ventilation rim with a pillowcase full of straw and wood chips.

03:55 — Defensive bees.

06:05 — An open feeder used properly.

May 2022 Beeyard Update

by

An update from my junkyard / backyard / beeyard.

I’m not upset about my dwindling winter colonies. This is how beekeeping plays out sometimes, whether through human error, environmental conditions or combination of both. Just look at the losses commercial beekeepers in Canada experienced this winter. Most of those losses are likely related to Varroa, which we don’t have in Newfoundland, but wintering losses are part of beekeeping no matter how you look it. I think it’s fair to say it happens to everyone eventually, even small-scale beekeepers.
Continue reading →

When Bees Toss Out Sugar Feed

by

A problem with the Mountain Camp method of dry sugar feeding is that sometimes the bees toss out the granules of sugar like they’re garbage. Maybe the bees are less likely to do that if they’re starving. All I can say for certain is that I use the Mountain Camp method — pouring dry sugar on newspaper over the top bars and sometimes spraying it with a bit of water — only when I can’t do anything else. Only when I don’t have sugar bricks available.


Continue reading →