Category Archives: Beekeeping
The Lazy Bees
A friend wanted to name his honey farm The Lazy Bee Apiaries. He even made the proper brand (LBA) for marking his frames and rims. But other beekeepers (including me) told him that bees aren’t lazy. Sometimes beekeepers are a … Continue reading
YIKES! Small Hive Beetle in Alberta
Two days ago, our apiary inspector announced the unfortunate discovery of the ugly Small Hive Beetle (SHB), species Aethina tumida, in the northern part of our province. I think that this is the first time SHB has been found in … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests
Tagged Alberta, beekeeping, New Brunswick, Ontario, small hive beetles
5 Comments
The Beekeeper Everyone Knows
There aren’t many beekeepers that the whole world knows. No one gets famous for keeping bees. Sometimes a beekeeper becomes locally infamous, but I can’t think of any beekeeper as well-known as, say, Sir Edmund Hillary. He and his climbing … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, History, People
Tagged beekeepers, Mount Everest, New Zealand, Sir Edmund Hillary
14 Comments
Bees with Beards
Ah, the bearded hive. With our current heatwave, beards are in fashion among beehives here in Calgary. Last week, I was called to the home of some new beekeepers. The front of their two-story hive was completely masked by a … Continue reading
One Week with a Queenless Hive
Over a week ago, I brought a nuc into my back yard. Twelve days have passed, so there should be an emerged virgin queen inspecting the neighbourhood, looking for boys. My little nuc was intentionally built as a queenless hive. … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Queens
Tagged Calgary, queen breeding, queen cells, queenless hives
16 Comments
Moving the Bees
Yesterday, I wrote about nuking the bees. Today, it’s moving the bees. My nuc started out on my daughter’s farm, 130 kilometres east of my home in Calgary. That’s over an hour’s drive, out on the prairie, away from the … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Biology, Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Hives and Combs, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged Alberta, moving bees, nuc, wasps
2 Comments
Nuking the Bees
If you’re a beekeeper, you probably already know all about nucs, the little hives from which big things are supposed to grow. If you’ve made nucs for fun or profit, then you have your own system – maybe two frames … Continue reading
Backstory for the Bees
Yesterday evening, I brought a small hive of bees to my back yard. It was thrilling. That may seem odd to those of you who read this blog regularly. (Did you miss my Urban Beekeeper post?) Surely I’ve got dozens … Continue reading
Keeping the Cougars out of your Bee Yard
Ever been chased by a mountain lion? How about a cougar, panther, or puma? Me neither, but I’ve probably passed within metres of all four. (I’m told that they’re all the same species – Puma concolor.) A new study from … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged bears, grizzly bears, puma
4 Comments
Urban Beekeeping Mug
Yesterday, Father’s Day, my family surprised me with this homemade mug. They had conspired to co-create this bit of art for the past few days. I heard the hushed tones and I saw people and things quickly disappear when I … Continue reading
