As a beekeeper, you need to learn the difference between swarm cells and supersedure cells. Every beekeeper’s goal is to have a surplus of honey they can harvest, so you need to manage your hive and understand when you should worry, and when it’s part of the hive’s survival.
Many new beekeepers don’t want more bees, but people need to understand that your honey bees go under a huge population explosion unlike anywhere else in the world in July. You need to ensure that you have a strategy in place so that they don’t swarm. If you don’t do something to manage your hive, they will swarm, and you will lose out on your honey crop.
It’s May now, and it’s very important you look at your hive and do a mite test. The Alberta apiculturist encourages you to test two to three times during spring and early summer. If you even find one mite in a test of 100 bees, you need to do a treatment.
If you have honey bees in your yard, think of what type of honey you want to have, as your bees will be sure to visit your garden for pollen and nectar supply. There are many ideas to choose from including flowers, herbs, shrubs and trees! The aster family is a very pollinator-friendly group of plants that do well across Canada. Also choosing a number of native plants to your area can attract more pollinators as they grow well in your region and are pollinator-friendly.
In Northern Alberta, we are still waiting for warmer temps to feed, but while you wait, it’s a good time to take online courses, assemble frames or replace any equipment you may need for the 2020 season. You can also paint your boxes or finish them in any way you want. For those of you who are feeling rusty or are new to beekeeping (congrats!), here are some tips on assembling your hive(s).
What should you do if your bees have died? First thing you should do is look at your hive and see if you can detect any moisture, disease or anything else that may have caused your colonies demise. Do your best to take any samples you need, photos and get a second opinion from a fellow beekeeper, mentor or us!
Beekeeping can be a fun and rewarding hobby or business, but to start out, you need the knowledge to do it well. We recommend that everyone takes a beekeeping course, and in some cities you are required to take one. Read our blog to learn the benefits of beekeeping courses.
The 2019 beekeeping season was a rough one for many. The weather was extremely cold for overwintering, which was hard on the hives. The 2019 spring brought more cool and wet weather that gave the bees very few good flying days and limited blooms.
Looking to buy a hive? Not sure where to start? Here is a good spot. Some key things to consider: How much time do you have? How many hives do you want? Can you lift boxes over 40 lbs? Read on to learn more about the Langstroth, Top Bar and Warre hives.
Hiveworld has a great line up of live bee products available to order for the 2020 season! We are also excited to offer a few new items this year too! All bees available to order online now! Package Bees, 5-Frame Nucs and 10-Frame Hives with three options.
No matter which way you choose to wrap your hive for overwintering, the most important parts are to have a healthy hive and ensure proper ventilation to keep the hive dry inside. Bees can keep their colony warm, but they cannot survive damp, wet conditions inside the hive.
Honey entries were a mix from a variety of summer nectar sources. Each honey had its own special shade ranging from very clear to creamy white to darker hues of yellow. Similarly, the tastes varied from rich and creamy to light, smooth and sweet. Event goers also got a special treat with a special tasting of dandelion and blackberry honey.
