My Honey Bees are out there, maybe even nearby! As you know my hives are empty this year. Recently on a walk, while I paused to take care of business, I noticed a Honey Bee collecting pollen on a dandelion. At the time, it just made my tail droop thinking about my departed friends. However […]
Earlier this week I shared that my hives suffered from Colony Collapse Disorder, and that due to travel restrictions I could not replace them with new Honey Bees purchased from Georgia. Although I’m disappointed, I realize just how lucky we are to have that luxury of being able to buy Honey Bees. Beekeeping in Maine […]
It is with a heavy heart I must share that my Honey Bees did not survive the winter. I’m not sure what went wrong. It was an unusually mild winter here. In fact, on many warm days in February we saw the bees out stretching their wings to take a cleansing flight. Dad took the […]
Have I mentioned we still have a bit of a learning curve when it comes to beekeeping? Case in point: When being pursued by angry Honey Bees, do not seek shelter in the basement, because they will follow you. So as you may have guessed our latest attempt at harvesting honey included a basement filled […]
Well it’s official, Azzza Hive did not survive the winter. Azzza Hive was one of our first hives and remained strong despite the odds being against it summer after summer. Its Honey Bees survived the death of their Queen, bravely defended themselves against predator field mice, and courageously fought off marauding sugar ants. They even […]
This weekend we welcomed a new colony of Honey Bees to our little apiary. We get our bees delivered to us thanks to a beekeeper who drives all the way to Georgia to purchase them, and then delivers them to families in New Hampshire and Maine. It’s easy. The Honey Bees are safely transported in […]
Today’s Earth Day message is brought to you on behalf of honey bees and dogs. In the spring humans go through great lengths trying to have the “perfect” lawn. However, have you stopped to consider how imperfect perfection is, and what harm it is doing to the environment? By covering lawns and gardens in pesticides […]
I gave Asa one job to do with our Honey Bees, one job! And despite the fact it was critical to do it in a small window of time, he hired someone else to do it for him! It was the Queen Bee he was suppose to trick, not me! Ok, I’m getting ahead of […]
Guess what? Just like Golden Retrievers come in a wide spectrum of color from light to dark, so does honey! Bees make honey by gathering nectar from flowers. However, between spring and autumn the types of flowers differ. Thus producing a variety of colors ranging from nearly colorless to dark brown depending on what is […]
This is shaping up to be one of the top 5 most humid summers in Maine. Asa and I are lucky that we can retreat indoors to cool off with air conditioners. However, my hard working Honey Bees aren’t so lucky. Yet as with everything else Mother Nature throws at them, these ladies have a […]