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Mead Stuff
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Bees and Honey
But I don't know much about bees and beekeeping so I have joined the local bee association and am now taking classes. It's a very interesting thing and I am learning a lot. I will keep you updated on the things I learn about beekeeping so check back again. This time of year (february) is typically the time that beekeepers order the queen bee starter kits. This way they can have it delivered in March and start their hives going. I have not yet ordered my queen starter because I don't know enough about the whole process. I may end up helping somebody else with their hive this year and then start my own hive next year. I have posted a video at the bottom of this page.
What is a Nuc? It is the term commonly used to refer to a nucleus hive. This is a 3 or 5 frame hive that you get when ordering bees and you take those frames out and install them in your hive. More pics and info here: What is a Nuc?
NEW: I How to set up a beehive. I take you through all the steps including choosing a good location and putting together all the parts that make up a beehive. How to set up a beehive Includes lots of pictures.
New video and new information: Splitting the hive and finding the queen - We have one good hive and one hive with no queen so to get it going we split some of the resources. Interesting process and you have to find the queen so you don't move her. I have pictures of the queen and a video! Splitting the hive and finding the queen
New: I have an online friend with beehives and one of his hives was opened up by a bear! You can see pictures of the hive and the bear here: Jacks hive gets attacked by a bear
Getting a Honey Extractor
New Video: Opening up an active hive in late June: This hive is active and filling up so we added another layer called a super which is an empty box of racks. Now the bees can grow and expand by filling this new empty box with honey: Video is here
OKAY, I got the beehives and am having some fun with them! Starting off the New Season With the Bee Hives I and my partners have started this new beekeeping season by opening up the beehives and inspecting them. It was a lot of fun and I have some pictures and videos for you.
Here are our beehives. The one on the left is a traditional wooden one and on the right is a newer style styrofoam one. The styrofoam hive appeared to have more activity but as we opened them up we discovered both hives were doing very well.
Here is the smoker that we use to calm the bees down.
Inspecting the hive.
Here is a feeding of the beehive. This gets them off to a good start for the new season. It is a mixture of sugar water. About 2 1/2 pounds of sugar dissolved in water. That is a special section of the hive that is like a container to hold the liquid. The bees have a small access slot so they can go in there and collect the sugar water.
Here is a look at one of the honeycomb frames. Pretty cool huh? Those bees were very busy.
Want to learn more about bees and beekeeping?Interested in raising honey bees? This friendly, practical guide presents a step-by-step approach to starting your own beehive, along with expert tips for maintaining a healthy colony. You get the latest on honey bee medication and treatments, harvesting and marketing your honey, and the impact the sudden disappearance of the honey bee has on our environment and economy.
The Backyard Beekeeper , now revised and expanded, makes the time-honored and complex tradition of beekeeping an enjoyable and accessible backyard pastime that will appeal to gardeners, crafters, and cooks everywhere. This expanded edition gives you even more information on "greening" your beekeeping with sustainable practices, pesticide-resistant bees, and urban and suburban beekeeping. More than a guide to beekeeping, it is a handbook for harvesting the products of a beehive and a honey cookbook--all in one lively, beautifully illustrated reference. This complete honey bee resource contains general information on bees; a how-to guide to the art of bee keeping and how to set up, care for, and harvest honey from your own colonies; as well as tons of bee-related facts and projects. You'll learn the best place to locate your new bee colonies for their safety and yours, and you'll study the best organic and nontoxic ways to care for your bees, from providing fresh water and protection from the elements to keeping them healthy, happy, and productive. Recipes of delicious treats, and instructions on how to use honey and beeswax to make candles and beauty treatments are also included. |
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Bee Stuff 
As a meadmaker it almost naturally follows that you might have an interest in bees and bee keeping. I know that I do! And there surely is a definite sense of accomplishment and satisfaction for a meadmaker to actually use honey that he raised himself. 
New: I have found a whole bunch of free ebooks about beekeeping. They are for kindle of the kindle emulator for PC (which is free). Pretty neat and if you are learning about beekeeping but don't want to spend any money yet these are a great place to get started: 
New: Adding a Shallow Honey Super to your beehive. This way you can get more honey! I have a video that shows what to do. 
Carving a miniature beehive.This is a fun little project that took less than an hour. The miniature beehive is only two inches in height. I made this for a diorama and you can see more about it and how to make one here: 
New: 
I took a road trip to a place that makes honey processing equipment (Maxant Industries). They gave me a tour of the facility and I bought an extractor so I could get the honey out of the frames. Nice company and nice product! See pics 
