Category Archives: Beekeeping
First day with the bees
On Friday evening, just after the sun had set, we installed two packages of bees. Earlier in the day, we arranged six drawn-out deep brood frames (purchased from Scandia Honey, a very reputable bee farm in our area), two new … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping
Tagged beginning beekeeping, Calgary, packages, pollen, urban beekeeping
7 Comments
Welcoming some new friends
The bees arrived. It was getting late. I was getting anxious. But just after the sun settled for the night, my friend Mark arrived with our two packages. He brought us 13,637 worker bees and two queens. We counted them. … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged Calgary, hive equipment, package bees, urban beekeeping
12 Comments
The Perfect Place for Bees
An easy way to intimidate a new beekeeper is to read the list of requirements for a perfect apiary. Here’s my list. It’s not comprehensive. But even as a starter, it’s menacing: Your bees should be: In partial shade: avoid … Continue reading
Pollen Specks
Yesterday, I saw the first pollen of the year carried by bees in our area. It’s almost May! Local bees have been without fresh pollen for over six months. The pollen specks which I saw were pitifully specky. If you … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Ecology, Honey Plants
Tagged Andony Melathopoulos, crocus, pollen, Spring, willow
6 Comments
Ask Three ‘Experts’ (and get six answers)
A few days ago, three long-time beekeepers were asked to sit on a panel and take bee-management questions from a large audience of (mostly) younger, newer beekeepers. The three beekeepers were all commercial beekeepers or had run commercial outfits. Altogether, … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Friends, Outreach
Tagged Allen Dick, beginning beekeeping, Calgary Bee Club, Neil Bertram
10 Comments
Nuisance-free beekeeping
Tired of irritating your neighbours with your pesky bees? Help is on the way. A very bright professor at Oregon State, Andony Melathopoulos, has co-authored a guide which you should read: Residential Beekeeping: Best-practice guidelines for nuisance-free beekeeping in Oregon. … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Books, Outreach
Tagged Andony Melathopoulos, bee safety, urban beekeeping
5 Comments
Causes of Winter Losses
Spring teased us today. It looked good for a few minutes. The sun was shining and we could imagine that someday it could be Cancun-warm here. But we will get another layer of snow tonight here in western Canada. Nevertheless, … Continue reading
Support a Book
I’ve received a fascinating message from a relatively new beekeeper. The note was from a young man who is crowdsourcing funds to help pay for the translation and printing of an unusual beekeeping book. Mathijs Herremans is a young Dutch … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Books, Outreach
Tagged crowd-funding, dark bees, Dutch, varroa mites
2 Comments
Crazy Russian Hacker lost all his bees!
My son is a fan of a YouTube sensation who calls himself the “Crazy Russian Hacker.” Taras Kulakov came to America from the Ukraine as a child refugee. He’s 30 now. A few years ago, he began making fun videos … Continue reading
Rotten: Lawyers, Guns & Honey
I’m invariably cautious – even cynical – about beekeeping movies. But I just saw one that breaks the mold and restores faith in the potential for delivering a great story about the honey industry without lies and exaggeration. The one-hour … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Commercial Beekeeping, Culture, or lack thereof, Movies, Pollination, Save the Bees
Tagged bee documentary, Honeygate
33 Comments
Bad Beekeeping Blog 