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Quote: i have still haven't used a Top Bar (but they do interest me), so i can't speak to that side of the issue, but we've raised bees "organically" for years and years in Langstroth hives. i don't feel like one hive structure is really any more suited to "organic" than the other, but that...

there is a great bit in Victorian Farm (which is wonderful and totally worth watching) on Victorian beekeeping. the video is here- the bee bit starts around 5:40.

Quote: a hand crank extractor! where are you located?

Quote: the smoke works in a few different ways. it makes them think there is a forest fire, so they prepare to evacuate the hive. to do that they gorge themselves on honey, which actually makes them sluggish. it's like a post Thanksgiving meal grogginess. also, with their abdomens full of...

you can freeze the frames for a few days to kill all the nasties and then cut the comb out, clean the frame well (i'd hit it with a powerwasher if you've got one), and reuse them safely. i'm not much help when it comes to requeening and such, since my father has always taken care of that kind...

for hive beetles, our favorite plan of attack is to smush them. whenever you see them on the frame, tap it on the lid and crush all beetles that fall off. we also encourage fire ants around the colonies because they will kill and eat the beetles and the larvae. we destroy any other fire ant...

years ago, my Anthropology of Ancient Europe teacher told us he was certain that Europeans would have gotten along so much better if they'd had something better than mead to drink! he said it was so disgusting that your only option was to go out and massacre some village, just to make you forget...

Quote: i see your point. we are definitely fans of the "bees should be bees" philosophy, but new hives are in a precarious situation. they might be perfectly wonderful, hardy bees and can starve simply because they didn't have enough time to build up sufficient stores of honey. if we check new...

nothing WE didn't already know, but NPR has a story about the new interest in beekeeping. "Numbers are way up as thousands of novices take up the hobby. And who are these new beekeepers? Increasingly, they're women." (emphasis is mine)

Quote: yep. this winter you will most likely have to supplement their feed a little (remember that they can get hydration from sugar syrup, which doesn't freeze as easily as pure water). but, when they make it through their first winter, you can breathe a lot easier!

Quote: It's true. I never would've become involved with 4H and poultry and duck and lambs and goats. I would've missed out on a lot of neat experiences. Of course I would probably also not be as broke as we are, but I wouldn't take back any of it. well, great parents do. guess you guys are...

yep, 12-13 is when i got started! and here i am at 27, back in the bee biz! i remember being about 13 and giving a demonstration for my bee club about honey extraction. i was the youngest person there by about 25 years... i thought it was the coolest thing EVER. i have this secret, dark fear...

is this a 4-H project or is just something he really enjoys around the farm? i think i was about his age(it's hard to say with him in a veil ) when i started entering my honey in competitions at the TN State Fair, but i never got involved with 4-H, which i now regret. he's totally adorable and...

Quote: the fundamentals are pretty easy. and jumping straight in really is probably the best way to learn. there are some things that you just can't really understand until they are right in front of you. it's good to have a beek club to turn to for advice and a good reference book is...

Quote: that is the CUTEST thing i have EVER seen! AHHHH! child voice saying "propolis"! and the "trusty hive tool"! seriously, omg. um, please put Jacob on a plane/train/bus/automobile addressed to "That crazy lady over on the mountain, E Tennessee."

forgot to say that they also help break the life cycle of the hive beetles since the beetle pupae mature in the soil. you would be shocked to see how successfully fire ants destroy pupae when they find them! it's brutal- and beautiful (DIE BEETLE SCUM!!).

Quote: i'm assuming you guys are talking about basic black ants? we've not had problems with them much, but Reinbeau's cinnamon trick has worked for us. in related pest management, we actually encourage limited fire ant colonies around our hives. we're VERY careful that they don't get too...

Quote: hahahaha. maybe the problem is that we don't read the books to them. i mean, books are awfully big, after all. maybe that will be my next experiment- i'll read a different bee book to each hive and see which one the bees agree with most.

could they be looking for water? do you have a water source in your yard? it could just be that they are mapping out the area for future reference.

i've got HONEY !!!!!!