Bee disease is an unfortunate part of beekeeping that all beekeepers must deal with. The good news is that with some proven precautionary steps, your colonies can be protected from...
LESSON 14: Wintering the Hive
The honey bee colony has a remarkable capacity to adapt itself to great extremes in climate conditions when allowed to develop freely with ample stores of honey and pollen. As...
LESSON 13: Extracting the Honey Crop
Now that you have spent all this time raising and managing the bees, it is finally time to claim your reward! Here we will show you all the necessary steps...
LESSON 12: How to Hive a Swarm
Swarming is an instinctive part of the annual lifecycle of the honey bee. The tendency is usually the greatest in the spring, when the bees increase their population rapidly before...
LESSON 11: Swarming, Causes and Control
Swarming is a very real concern for any beekeeper. When bees swarm, they usually divide the colony into a large group and leave to look for a new hive. They...
LESSON 10: How to Manage Bees
When it comes to managing bees, there are three times of the year that require different types of hive management-- Winter, Early Spring and Summer. Each season is crucial to...
LESSON 9: Packaged Bees and How to Care for Them
Packaged bees are produced in the southern states to be shipped into northern states in the spring. The 3 lb. size is the most popular and it is said that...
LESSON 8: Selecting the Apiary Site
There are several factors you should consider when selecting a site to place your hives. One of the most important factors is: will there be a sufficient food source near...
LESSON 7: Beekeeping Equipment & Hive Assembly
To be successful in beekeeping, certain beekeeping equipment is necessary. All equipment must be uniform and standard when assembling a hive. There are several types of hives in use today....
LESSON 6: Nectar and Pollen Plants of the Pacific Northwest
You will be quite surprised at how many plants produce a surplus of nectar and pollen for the bees. For this section we will be focusing on the Pacific Northwest...
LESSON 5: Race of Bees
This is a very quick condensed description of some of the more popular honey bees for bee keeping. For more information we suggest reading one of our books. Brown Bee...
LESSON 4: Queen, Worker and Drones Behavior
Through the centuries, man has tried to solve the secrets responsible for the success of the honey bees. Only now are we beginning to lift the veil of mystery from...
LESSON 3: The Brood Rearing Process
During the spring season, an efficient queen can lay about 1,500 eggs in a twenty-four hour period. Those 1,500 eggs collectively weigh about the same as the queen herself. It’s...