BlueRidgeBee

 Honey Harvest 2023  

Below are the normal time frames that new packages go through in the first month. Day 1-3: Installing the Package The first few days after installing the package are crucial. You'll need to make sure that the bees have access to food and water, as they won't have any stored up yet. It's also important to check that the queen has been released from her cage and has begun laying eggs. During this time, the bees will be focused on building comb and establishing the colony. Yes my queens are out, can you spot her. Day 4-14: Building Comb and Establishing the Colony During this time, the bees will be busy building comb and expanding the size of the colony. You may notice that the bees are bringing in more pollen and nectar as they start to establish their food sources. The queen will also be laying more eggs, and the colony will be growing at a rapid pace. Yes mine are building brood, pollen and honey stores.   Day 15-30: Checking the Brood and Health of the Colony By the ...

  Installing honey bee packages is an essential step in beekeeping for those who want to start their own hive or expand an existing one. Honey bee packages are usually sold by bee suppliers, and they contain a queen bee, a certain number of worker bees, and some food to sustain the bees during transportation. In this blog, we will provide a step-by-step guide on how to install honey bee packages, including some tips to ensure a successful installation. Step 1: Prepare the hive Before you install the honey bee package, you need to make sure that your hive is ready. The hive should be clean, free of debris and pests, and have frames with foundation or drawn comb. You can also add a feeder filled with sugar syrup to provide extra food for the bees. Step 2: Choose the installation location Choose a location for the hive that is sheltered from the wind and receives sunlight for at least six hours a day. The hive should also be placed in an area with good drainage, so the bee...

Bee keeping is a hobby that has many benefits for you, your community and the planet. Whether you are interested in producing your own honey, helping the environment, or learning more about these amazing insects, bee keeping can be a rewarding and enjoyable experience. Here are some of the virtues of bee keeping that you might not know about. ## Honey One of the most obvious benefits of bee keeping is that you get to harvest your own honey. Honey is a natural sweetener that has many health benefits, such as boosting your immune system, soothing sore throats and coughs, and healing wounds. Honey also tastes delicious and can be used in many recipes, from baking to salad dressing. Unlike commercial honey, which is often pasteurized and filtered, raw honey from your own hive retains all its nutrients and enzymes. You can also enjoy different flavors of honey depending on what flowers your bees visit. ## Environment Another virtue of bee keeping is that you help the environment by supporti...

 The US has been experiencing high hive loss of over %50 the last couple years. There are many causes for this, such as, disease, verroa mite, pest control and just failure. Sad to say I am down to no hives now as one hive swarmed in early spring and the other recently just absconded(left for unknown reason). I believe the last that absconded was getting robbed and just decided to join the raiders. I have never had that happen before. I could be very upset but I had those two hives for several years and made my money back plus in honey. So I will get two new packages this spring. I am on the list for two in late March from a local bee store. I have had great luck with the bees I get from them always being healthy and productive, so I will use them again. But it is very sad to look in my bee yard and see this. Well I will continue to document my bee journey's here.

 I wish this was a perfect world and there were never any problems, but there are problems, even in the Bee world. The big problem right now is the Varroa mite, aka Varroa destructor. If not kept under control the Varroa mite can destroy your hive. There are several different treatments, depending on the time of year and your particular situation. To find out all about keeping a healthy hive I would suggest going to the Honey Bee Health Coalition web site. https://honeybeehealthcoalition.org/ You need to be a student of the Varroa and other health issues that can happen to your hive. Another great resource is the website https://scientificbeekeeping.com/ Don't think if you ignore the Varroa it will go away or will never happen to you. This past week I treated my hives for Varroa. I have used a couple methods but lately have been using Formic Acid Pro. It is a natural treatment so can be used even right before harvesting honey and has been found to be very effective at killing the...

  As you can see from my posts, being a Beekeeper has lots of trouble and heartache. There are times of great joy as well. These times come in the form of harvesting honey. I have gotten fairly adept at harvesting honey from my hives. It can be very messy and lots of work but the end result is liquid gold 😊 I recently harvested honey from my one remaining hive. See the previous post about how I got 20lbs of honey from the hive that swarmed. I don't sell honey, right now anyway, so this is just for my wife and I and our family and friends. I will try to detail the process I go through to extract honey on this post. Many people take their supers in to a local bee supply store and pay to have them extract the honey, but I prefer to do it on my own. First we get suited up and get all our equipment ready for extracting honey. As you see we load the wheelbarrow with a container, smoker, brush and blower. Sometimes I get the bees off a frame at a time and put them in a container, or some...