The Butterfly Weed is now in bloom, and the bees have found it. Asclepias tuberosa L. is a relative of Milkweed as can bee seen comparing the flowers of the two shown below.
Butterfly Weed is in bloom!
First honey harvest of 2017
We’ve managed to harvest some honey from the hives at home. Most of the hives are running lean as we’ve focused again on expansion this year at the farm. One hive was left alone, and managed to prevent swarming, which can reduce honey intake. The honey we pulled this year has a fantastic Continue reading “First honey harvest of 2017”
Moving the farm into thirds
The hives at the farm are doing great. I’m starting to add Continue reading “Moving the farm into thirds”
Hive monitoring
I’ve finally gotten my hive monitoring system built and installed to a hive here at home. It allows me to see trends in hive weight from bees coming and going, gaining weight from nectar, losing weight as they evaporate water out while drying the honey, temperature and humidity inside the hive and out, and more. The monitor is Continue reading “Hive monitoring”
Going up!
The farm hives are building up nicely. I’ve added a second box to several already. We need Continue reading “Going up!”
Home hives are building up
The hives at home are building up nicely. The hives with a 4th box are already producing excess honey. We’ve had good weather this spring and are hoping to get a good harvest from a few of these. Others will be used to supplement the building hives at the farm.
Spring swarm still building comb
Our first swarm is still building comb, and fast! Here are a few frames of beautiful white comb. As bees walk on the comb over time, the pollen on their feet stain the wax it’s usual yellow color. This wax hasn’t Continue reading “Spring swarm still building comb”
Feeders on the farm
I’ve put feeders on at the farm. This will help them with brood population and comb building in their first year buildup.
Queen tracking at the hive
I’m trying a new idea this year to easily identify the queens in each hive. I made tags for each queen I have. The main block has Continue reading “Queen tracking at the hive”
Second swarm of 2017
Today I found another swarm, near the same location as the first. This swarm was large, not quite as big as a basketball. I’m still trying to figure out where these are coming from. All the hives here at home have marked queens, and they were still in place when checked after the first swarm was found. Both swarms have unmarked queens. I have a guess which hive they are from, but it’s still a mystery.