When to Stop Feeding Bees Sugar Water

Feeding sugar water to bees is practical among beekeepers when nectar is scarce or when a young colony needs support. However, the syrup is a placeholder. Once nature returns to its pollen and nectar production routine, the bees are programmed to find it and courier it to the hive.

This article will discuss when to stop providing sugar water to your bees, covering hive strength and population, seasonal changes, nectar flow, and honey production.

What to Do After Catching a Swarm of Bees

Is there any other animal that man keeps that is given for free? Let’s set aside the wandering cat, dog, and chicken for a second. I’m talking about waking up and finding a herd of cattle, just looking for a home, or a flock of chickens invading an empty coop. Yet, a beekeeper can buy a hive, mount the brood box on a tree and capture a swarm for free. It sure is a blessing if you know how to do it right.

In this article, we’ll cover the steps involved in housing a swarm in a new hive and ensuring their safety. From assessing the size of the swarm to monitoring their behavior, this guide will help you successfully add new bees to your apiary.

What Time of Day Do Honey Bees Swarm?

Swarming is nature’s way of reproducing and expanding bee colonies. When a colony becomes too large or overcrowded, the bees create a new queen and split into two groups. One group will stay in the original hive, while the other group, led by the old queen, will search for a new home.

Understanding the timing of honey bee swarming can be valuable for beekeepers and those interested in the fascinating world of bees.

Can You Move Bee Colonies a Short Distance?

Moving bee colonies short distances can be a challenging task for beekeepers. Poorly executed moves can result in disoriented bees, colony stress, and decreased productivity.

Generally, beekeepers follow the “3 feet or 3 miles” rule. Moving a beehive less than three feet or more than three miles is acceptable, but distances in between may confuse and disorient the bees. This article will discuss the proper steps and precautions to take when moving bee colonies short distances.

Tangential vs Radial Honey Extractors

Honey extractors are revolutionary tools for beekeepers, helping them harvest honey from honeycombs without damaging the delicate comb structure. Extractors use centrifugal force to spin the honey out of the comb, allowing it to be collected and bottled.

In this article, we’ll look at the two most common types of honey extractors: tangential and radial extractors. Both have their pros and cons, and the choice between them largely depends on the needs and preferences of the beekeeper.

How to Store Fresh Drawn Honeycomb

Honeycomb is an architectural masterpiece, and it takes a lot of energy from bees to make it. Now that we have the technology to extract honey without damaging the comb, we have the opportunity to make things a little easier for the bees. Then again, there’s magic in biting into a piece of cured honey still in the comb.

For those with Top Bar hives, harvesting involves cutting the comb off the top bar. For the Langstroth hive users, having a drawn frame of comb is great for new packages, or getting them to move into supers.

This article will guide you through the best practices for storing fresh honeycomb for consumption or reuse, to ensure that you can enjoy it at its finest for as long as possible.

How to Mark a Queen Bee

Finding a queen in a colony is like looking for a long needle in a stack of shorter needles. It gets easier with experience, although even experienced beekeepers sometimes use a second set of eyes to find her. To make it easier on the eye, beekeepers started to mark them with color on the thorax. Not only did it make it easier to see her strolling around her kingdom, but it also made tracking her much simpler. However, marking the queen requires a delicate touch and attention to detail.

In this article, we will dive into the art of marking a queen bee, exploring the methods used by beekeepers and the importance of this skill. Whether you’re an experienced beekeeper or just starting, this guide will provide valuable insights and practical tips to help you succeed.

How Many Brood Boxes Should a Hive Have?

Every beekeeper, novice or experienced, knows the profound importance of brood boxes in a beehive’s structure. Acting as the heart of the hive, these boxes host the queen bee’s egg-laying and the growth of the new generation. However, determining the optimum number of brood boxes remains a topic of much debate. How many is too many, or too few? The answer, often nestled between tradition and recent research, might surprise you.

How Many Bee Hives per Acre of Land?

Unlike other livestock, bees forage far beyond your property lines to keep themselves fed. That’s why determining the ideal beehive-to-land ratio is vastly variable. It’s further complicated if your beehives are migratory with pollination contracts. If we add the ability to supplement their feed when nature is lacking, the math will give you a headache

In this comprehensive guide, we’ll explore these factors in detail and provide practical recommendations to help you find the right balance for your land.

How Long Does It Take to Extract Honey?

The process of making honey begins with the honey bee, a tireless worker that spends its life collecting nectar from flowers. Once the bees have filled their hive with honey, it’s time for beekeepers to step in and harvest the sweet, golden liquid. The time it takes to extract honey depends on various factors, including the hive’s size, the efficiency of the extraction method, and the beekeeper’s experience.