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Educational
Educational
This section is the hub for sharing helpful and practical information about bees as well as the tools, equipment, supplements and medications we employ to keep them healthy.
Here you will find information about the following:
Beekeeping Classes - Hands-On Open Hives
Basic Beekeeping 101
Next Level Beekeeping 201
What exactly is a honey bee?
What's in the hive?
Life Cycle & More
Bee Venom Therapy
New Bees - Set Up
Installing a Nuc
Treating for Mites & More
We want our customers to be successful and enjoy beekeeping, so we do what we can to help. We get calls daily with questions that range from "what should I do for winter?" to "why did my hive abscond?" While we can offer some suggestions and attempt to help understand the fundamentals, the truth is, there are far too many variables in the craft of beekeeping and the world in general to have any "one size fits all" set of answers to most of the questions. So we compiled the FAQs & How To sections to offer some guidance and have put together multiple pages of reference material and links to additional trusted resources.
Through careful observation & continued education, the gratification of understanding can be achieved.
We want our customers to be successful and enjoy beekeeping, so we do what we can to help. We get calls daily with questions that range from "what should I do for winter?" to "why did my hive abscond?" While we can offer some suggestions and attempt to help understand the fundamentals, the truth is, there are far too many variables in the craft of beekeeping and the world in general to have any "one size fits all" set of answers to most of the questions. So we compiled the FAQs & How To sections to offer some guidance and have put together multiple pages of reference material and links to additional trusted resources.
Through careful observation & continued education, the gratification of understanding can be achieved.
Where to www.begin. ???
Where to www.begin. ???
Where to start? What online content / advise can be trusted or used in the vast sea of information overload?
It's worth understanding that "The Art of Beekeeping is a fascinating journey, not a race. So going at your own pace and starting with what fits your budget, both financially and the amount of time you have to dedicate to the craft is generally fine. There is a lot to learn and a lot of information available on beekeeping, both in print and online. So much so that it can feel overwhelming at times.
The good news is you do not need to know it all to get started and have fun. Like most other adventures in life, the more you do and experience, the more you will learn and better you become with practice. Not everyone is cut out for beekeeping, any more than any other activity, but anyone with a desire can learn and be successful.
Here in this section you will find articles and links to a wealth of trusted sources for continued educational. resources from our extended beekeeping family and friends. These offer all sorts of great information about honey bees to help kids of all ages learn more about our little fuzzy flying friends.
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We have learned a good deal over the years, both good and bad, and have made it through several drought years without much help from mother nature. (we call those the mega learning years) Since we can not be a mentor to all of our customers, we hope to provide the basic tools you need to get started and to continue your education and experience going forward.
Finding a mentor can be difficult, because there was a void in beekeeping in our area for many years. So basically our beekeeping community is having to start over. Even those that made it through the "Killer Bee" period are finding different challenges than the 1980s and before presented. Actually having a mentor can be a blessing or a curse, depending on the mentor. Are they successful and have extra bees each spring or do they have to replace their bees every year or two? Which is the best path to follow?
Scientists say that there is so much to know and learn about honey bees that we will never fully understand them. We jokingly say the real reason for this is because 95% of a hive's population consists of females... how can we expect to understand that many gals living under the same roof? Heck, even all of the female scientists do not all agree on everything (but hopefully will get the joke here ;) )
When you first start out on the path of becoming a beekeeper, the natural tendency in today's world is to "ask Siri" or "hey Google" and spend countless hours going through every website and video that you can find on beekeeping at the great YouTube University and beyond.
While that is perfectly normal and understandable, because that's the norm these days, the fact is that with beekeeping, it can easily become Information Overload and, because of all of the variables, there is a good deal of conflicting information. As a new beekeeper, one does not have the experience to always know what's right or wrong or what to avoid or try in a given area of the world or even your own state.
We hope to help and narrow down some of this flood if information and at least guide folks in the right direction for some of the proven successful beekeeping practices that we find works for us in our area. Obviously us southern beekeepers have different task seasonally, i.e. how we need to prepare our hives for winter vs how the guys up north do things and visa versa. We also can have different pest problems and different "nectar flows" / food issues etc. etc.
Simply being aware of these differences can help get your filters aligned for what to apply and what to avoid in your area, but there is always plenty to learn and discover in the world of beekeeping. New products hit the market almost daily and new food supplements and medications are always being tested and sometimes approved.
We are constantly learning and evolving, much like the bees are, and we encourage everyone to hit all the books and websites available, but have some filters and take it all with a grain of salt and carefully apply what you think may make the most sense. In some cases it's best to start with small doses and see what happens. Use your best judgment and consult others if possible. The successful beekeepers are not always the ones making the news or having the loudest voice at the bee club meetings or have a TV show.
Success comes with education, experience and proper observation. At the very least, pay attention to what the successful beekeepers are doing to control Varroa and provide ample nutrition to their hives. These are the ones that are constantly making splits and either selling bees and honey or growing their apiary. Having too many bees is a good problem to have, but it does require understanding what it takes to have healthy bees.
Those that approach beekeeping as fun learning experience that is a continual journey, not the final destination, are the ones that will keep the beekeeping fires burning for future generations. We think that's a good team to play for. :)
Here's a video promoting the same basic philosophy we believe and try to practice... keep observing and keep learning and enjoy the journey.
HONEY BEE Apis mellifera washboarding mystery solved? Dr Tom Seeley...
A mystery that no one could solve yet. Dr. Tom Seeley is absolutely right when he advocates for the importance to look at bees in the wild ...
4:53 YouTube · Inside The Hive TV · Aug 18, 2019
Tech for Bees?
Tech for Bees?
What about technology in beekeeping? Where are we now and were are we going? Are there any good Apps for that?
Yes, there are apps for beekeeping available and more on the way. How good they can and do work and what assistance they provide is likely to be as diverse as beekeepers and the ideas we all have about what we want and need.
We tested an app called BeeScanning, when we first discovered it at the end of 2023. It was created to scan and detect Varroa issues. While it appeared to show some promise, it needed some edits and took a good deal of time to get hives entered into the system with limited results - at least at that time. We sent the creators some feedback, but have not followed up to see if they have made any adjustments.
Meanwhile, we have been working with another company on a totally different platform that is geared for grading and reporting on pollination hives. This app has sensors in the hives and send information to a central database which we access through an app on a cellular device.
See more
...More to come as more develops...
Images from the hives - many of these can be found with information and details in the FAQs & How To Info sections.
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