We have a pool in the backyard that we cover for the winter. By spring, there is a lot of water on the cover, and the local animals take advantage of this resource. We typically pump off the water in late April or early May when we open the pool for the year. Before this happens, we get birds, toads, bees, and an occasional snake (don’t tell my wife) enjoying the water.
Continue readingMonth: March 2022
2022 Mar 20 – Reversing Boxes
We had a beautiful 77 F (25 C) Saturday and I took the opportunity to check my hives and reverse the boxes. For the most part the bees were gentle and busy with their work. Reversing is a method of moving lower boxes with little or no resources (especially no brood) to the top. This puts the brood nest lower in the hive and encourages the colony to build out honey stores above.
Continue reading2022 Mar 6 – Checking In
Today was a good day to peek in the hives, so I opened a few up to see how they are faring. They are raising bees, storing nectar, and otherwise taking their late winter activities seriously. My two top bar hives were strong, though they each had some dampness on the bottom board. The Langstroth hives I checked seem good, with both brood and food. Unless we get a freaky stretch of weather, but I think my 8 hives have made it through the winter.
May you prosper and find honey.
Continue reading2022 Mar 3 – Cleaning Frames
I was struggling to clean the nooks and crannies of old frames, so bought a turkey fryer that I tried out last weekend. It works really well and makes scraping out the grooves a breeze. As a plus it melts other random wax and I’m sure sanitizes the frames as well. The pot is tall enough that I can boil one side and then the other. After reviewing a couple sites I’m trying to boil each side for about two minutes.
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Bees with eeb 