Do you need wood chips? I have some extra…. There is a service getchipdrop.com that provides free wood chips to home owners. Local arborists drop their fresh wood chips off at no charge, which is often quicker and cheaper than taking them to a dump or other location. So it is good for home owners, good for the arborist company, and good for the environment. One challenge, of course, is that you never know exactly how much you will get. Let’s just say I have more than I was hoping for.
Continue readingMonth: April 2023
First Swarm of 2023
My hives had their first swarm of the year this week, on Tuesday, April 11. We’ve had 80 F temperatures this week, and I happened to be in the bee yard while it was happening, which is always fun. Bees flying everyone, gathering at the entrance, and making their way to wherever the queen decided to land. In this case, the bees landed on a nearby fence post.
Continue readingSpring Swarm Traps
It turns out I don’t always cut straight. Fortunately, the bees won’t care, as I tried my hand at making swarm traps. Basically you make a deep box turned on it’s side, and place it in a tree for the bees to find. I used the plans available at hacknbuild.com, that uses a single 4′ by 8′ sheet of plywood to make three swarm traps. See the image below.
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Bees with eeb 