Bee a Good Neighbour In rural areas honeybees can happily roam for kilometres without encountering neighbours or other animals. Not so in the city. Unexpected close encounters and misunderstandings about honeybee behavior are a recipe for fear-based reactions and negative impressions about urban beekeeping. While public education can help alleviate some...
A checklist of questions to ask a honey bee retailer before purchasing bees from them....
Do you have everything you need to start beekeeping? We've put together this handy equipment list that you can reference throughout the year. ...
Welcome to ABC Bees! Keep reading this blog post to learn about all the beekeeping programs and courses that we offer....
The seasons are changing so it's time for winterization 101. Beekeeping is all about understanding rhythm of the season and how it applies to the rhythm and timing of a beehives’ development. A beehive will grow starting in February and recede in to September when managed in the Prairies, following...
When it comes to feeding bees, it is important to know when to feed, when not to feed, and why you're feeding. During the fall our goal is to set our bees up for success so that they can survive through the winter. Feeding sugar syrup is cheap insurance. ...
Fall is coming quick which means it's time to start thinking about fall beekeeping! Here are some resources to have on hand as you start preparing your beehives for the changing of seasons. The University of Guelph has a fantastic collection of beekeeping videos. Here's one about Feeding Bees and Overwintering! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f8bDzD-aXj4 Fat Bees...
At this time of year, it’s likely that your bees are basking in the glory of a major summer nectar flow, working hard to build up those honey stores for the winter and a little for sharing. However, there is someone else who is enjoying the bounties of summer as...
Managing hives, in its simplest form, is about weighing pros and cons, and leading your odds of success in your hives direction. This means making blind choices based on statistics...
They’re hard to miss. Big, fuzzy balls rolling around in pollen or the low hum of their flight muscles as they meander through the yard in search of flowers. It’s summer and the bumble bees are back! The Bumble Bee Lifecycle In the spring, bumble bee queens emerge from their hibernaculum, a...
If you are planning on making splits in your hives during the spring and early summer, you are going to have a lot of young bees in your parent colony. This is a good time to introduce foundation or foundationless frames to your parent hive. This is also a great...
By now, you should have had the opportunity to do a survival check on your hives. It's time to make a plan for your first full hive inspection of the season. You will be prepared to look for remaining honey stores and remaining pollen stores. Your survival checks were all...
Let’s chat about spring hive inspections and what you should be looking for. I have been telling a lot of people about hive succession and what to expect of your bees looking forward to spring. Remember, when you are doing your hive management, you should always be thinking 3 weeks...