Tag Archives: wintering
When Bees Finally Get a Bathroom Break
March is a confusing month here in Calgary. Three weeks of it belongs to winter. Snow sits around in gray crusty patches that melt, refreeze, and melt again. Nights are cold enough to freeze the ground solid. But when I … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Podcasts, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged Alberta, beekeeping, wintering
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An Apiary in a Box
The image above is from the BeeCube website. Inside that box is an entire apiary. It can be loaded on the back of a truck and hauled off to a new location – wintering spot, spring build-up, pollination, summer honey … Continue reading
Wintering at 50 Below in the Yukon
The Yukon is not usually considered ‘beekeeping country’, but there is some great beekeeping science going on up there right now. Etienne Tardif, an engineer with a fondness for spreadsheets and experimentation, has been keeping bees for 15 years in … Continue reading
Ready for the cold?
Podcasts continue to grow in popularity. People are spending about two hours each day following the wise musings of their favourite word-weavers. I heard that Joe Rogan signed with Spotify for $100,000,000 (though he’s locked in for ten years). I … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged Adony Melathopoulos, Alberta, feeding bees, podcast, wintering
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Late-winter Feeding
Today is the last day of winter in the northern hemisphere. But the temperature – here in Calgary, at least – feels spring-like. It’s been in the mid-teens (60° F) for a few days. It’s the first chance for many … Continue reading
Winterprep: What’s the neighbour doing?
Fall has arrived and you’re preparing your bees for winter. If you are new to beekeeping, this should make you nervous. You might lose every colony you have in the next few months. What you do now has a huge … Continue reading
Brood in Front of the Hive?!?
I’m continuing with the series of questions which I overheard at a bee meeting a few days ago. Today, it’s dead brood. Here are those questions: My honey isn’t capped. What should I do with it? (I heard that one … Continue reading
Posted in Bee Biology, Bee Yards, Beekeeping, Diseases and Pests, Pesticides, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged American Foulbrood, chalkbrood, dead bees, skunks, wintering
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Cold Bees
It’s not the cold, it’s the humidity. We hear people say this a lot. That’s one reason 20º Fahrenheit (-7º C) in the eastern US can feel a lot colder than -20º in Montana. Generally, it’s the humidity that makes … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Hives and Combs, Tools and Gadgets
Tagged humidity, wintering
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Under surveillance
Alberta beekeepers have initiated a nation-wide program to monitor the health of Canadian bees. Even though Alberta has been largely untouched by heavy losses (so far), the Alberta Beekeepers Commission wants to stay ahead of potential disaster. Alberta beekeepers lost … Continue reading
Posted in Diseases and Pests, Save the Bees
Tagged Alberta, colony collapse disorder, Ontario, wintering
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What are these bees thinking?!?
A beekeeper in Winnipeg sent some photos of her hives. Her bees are misbeehaving. They broke cluster at minus 8 degrees (around 20 F), masses of bees are hanging out at the entrance, and she wants to know why. Sadly, … Continue reading
Posted in Beekeeping, Climate, Strange, Odd Stuff
Tagged bad beehaviour, Winnipeg, wintering
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