Winter hive check: what to look for
When you check your winter hives, what do you look for? How often? Should you open them? Should you use a checklist? What if something is wrong? The answer for me is simple: I get nervous as a cat if I...
View ArticleThermal images of winter bees
Not once this week but twice, beekeepers have sent me thermal images of their overwintering colonies. Of course both beekeepers were both men—not once has a woman ever sent me a thermal image. I’m not...
View ArticleIR and hive maintenance: what glows?
After my last post, wherein I stated that only men sent me thermal images of their hives, I received the following images, all from women of course. But it turns out that IR (infrared) photography is...
View ArticleWhen is it too cold to open a hive?
My ancestors were hardy Pennsylvania Germans. They were diligent, clear thinking, and not predisposed to nonsense. Whenever I said something lacking in common sense—what they called horse sense—I got...
View ArticleMy hives have no brood! What should I do?
It is October or perhaps November. You open your hives for a quick inspection only to find there is no brood. None! Not a single cell, capped or otherwise. You panic, wondering whether you should...
View ArticleFall hive management: dealing with dinks
You have a small colony of honey bees that seems to have stalled. The frames of bees look normal enough, and they contain brood, honey, pollen, and a seemingly healthy queen. The bees are performing...
View ArticleThermal imaging for beekeepers
Last week, a dusting of snow showed me exactly where the cluster in my top-bar hive had gathered. Dead center on the uninsulated gabled roof were two circles of meltwater, so I knew the cluster was...
View ArticleThe ultimate guide to overwintering success
Honey bees are masters at overwintering. But for the most part, our modern-day honey bees find themselves living in man-made structures that are not like the homes they would have built for themselves....
View ArticleDid your bees die of cold or starvation?
Many people argue that wintering honey bees seldom die of cold. Instead they die of starvation, either because they could not reach the food or because their food supply ran dry. In truth, the reason a...
View ArticleOverwintering success: the one thing I do differently
It’s official: I overwintered all my colonies once again. In fact, in seven of the last ten years I managed to pull every single colony through the bleak northwest winter. Having said that, the...
View ArticleThe winter hive: to tap or not to tap
A beekeeper in Kentucky wants to know if tapping on the winter hive is really as dangerous as her mentor claims. She writes: [My mentor] came over last Sunday to help me with a winter checklist. While...
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