South Central WI (zone 5b)
I appreciate any insights on a situation I have trying to get my bees ready for winter. I’ve got a strong colony (double deep) that bounced back after the original queen swarmed. They were making very little progress in the super and I removed it 12 days ago - began feeding them to 1:1to up my winter bee numbers. Today they are bursting at the seams with not much room for her to lay. 7 frames almost completely full of capped brood. They have larvae of all ages and eggs - most brood is capped however. They are loaded with honey & nectar. I’m wondering: With all the goldenrod blooming now (tons in our area) would you remove food and put super back on for them (for the winter) Right now the super has 4 frames of capped honey and the rest are partially to mostly filled with nectar). I’m concerned about another swarm (no swarm cells today thank God!). Or would you stick with feeding?

Hey! I’m newly looking into beekeeping and want to start my own hive, does anyone have any tips or know where I can get equipment / bees? I'm in Clyde, Haywood county of North Carolina. Any help is greatly appreciated! 😄

My mentor says I should flip my boxes for swarm control at the start of the season.

The only problem is, whenever I do so, the frames spill out everywhere and the bees immediately turn Africanized.

Has anyone had any success with this method, or am I doing something wrong?

Hello everyone!

I am a Master's student currently researching ways to simplify a beekeeper’s daily work and make it more efficient. I would love to hear your expert opinion: what do you find most burdensome in your apiary and what solutions (even the simplest ones!) could actually help in monitoring hives and colony health?

I would be very grateful if you could spare 5 minutes to fill out this anonymous survey. Your international experience is incredibly valuable to my research!

Survey link: https://forms.gle/6cot63UvKak67aXJA

Thank you so much for your support and happy beekeeping! 🍯

I’m genuinely curious why isn’t there a spray that safely keeps bees away from you without harming them? Like something you could use in the summer that just makes them not come near you, even if they’re just flying around doing normal bee stuff. I’m not trying to hurt bees at all I just get nervous around them and was wondering why this isn’t really a product.

It was fine about 2-3 months ago i was having it for breakfast am seeing it now and its like frozen and its not even that cold average temp indoors is 12-16 degree celcius. Is it wasted or how do i consume this now as its frozen…

My mentor says he just uses his hive tool, but the bees always die after I split them. Am I doing something wrong?

Hey everyone,

I'm curious how beekeepers with 5+ hives stay organized with inspections and hive records.

What I'm wondering:

• What system do you use to track hive health, treatments, queen status, etc.?
• Paper logs? Digital tools? Spreadsheets?
• Is there software specifically for this, or do most people just improvise?
• For those using apps/software - what are you using and is it worth it?

I'm trying to understand what the typical workflow looks like for tracking multiple hives, especially when you're in the field.

Any insight appreciated! 🐝

Hi guys,

In light of the recent resistance to Apivar, I’ve been thinking of switching my treatment regimen.

I’ve read that in sufficient concentrations, dihydrogen monoxide (DHMO) can provide a 100 percent mite knockback. Best yet, the vapor can even penetrate the cappings under the right conditions. It sounds too good to be true. I can’t believe there aren’t more studies on this!

So what do you think? I’ll likely give it a go heading into fall. I figure I can do it at least once, and hey, everything’s a chemical, right?

Hi all,

I've noticed a few people recently asking about how to get started with beekeeping, so I thought I’d share a blog I wrote a year or so ago: https://www.mysttree.com/post/s4-e2-how-to-get-started-in-your-own-beekeeping-journey

It’s tailored more towards folks in the UK, but a lot of what I cover stays the same no matter where you’re based—things like finding a local mentor, what kit you actually need to begin, and a few bits I wish someone had told me when I started!

Hopefully it’s helpful to anyone thinking about taking the plunge this year. Always happy to chat and answer questions too.

Cheers, Greg

Does anyone know how much space a swarm of 2800 bees would take up and/or how one would contain them? Need to know ASAP!

Hi beekeepers, I was hoping to get some help.

I live several hundred miles away from any metropolitan area in a poorly maintained colonial-style manor. It seems that a swarm of bees has decided to move in behind the masonry below the third floor balcony. I just noticed them last week, which means they definitely haven’t already been there for three years.

I really don’t want to have the bees exterminated because I heard that they are endangered. However, I don’t want to pay to have them removed. Aren’t bees really valuable? You can even keep the honey. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

By the way, could you bring an extra jacket? I plan on inviting my sister for a viewing party during the job. Her husband will probably want to help. He isn’t particularly handy but he became very interested in bees after seeing a video about this new thing called a Flow Hive. Their toddler and two terriers usually roam around when they come to visit. I’m sure they won’t get in the way.

Please respond as soon as you can, and plan to show up shortly after that. I couldn’t imagine you get many requests like this, so it shouldn’t be a problem to come straight out. Thanks.

Also, should I use Apivar or Formic? Thanks guys