EDITOR’S NOTE: It’s time for spring packages, so I’m reposting a popular item from last year. Good luck!
Readers have asked for instructions for installing their new packages of bees. So here goes…it’s going to be a long post, but worth it, I hope!
Installing packages is one of the easier beekeeping tasks. In my opinion, there are [...]
An article in the New York Times reports that a spoonful of honey is more effective than the medicine (Dextromethorphan, or DM) in common over-the-counter medications used by most parents. The study was conducted by researchers in the Department of Pediatrics and the Department of Public Health Sciences in the College of Medicine at Pennsylvania [...]
The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station has just published a report on Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) in Connecticut. The report contains good news about CCD: despite the presence of CCD in at least 24 states, there are no confirmed cases of it in Connecticut. The report suggests that this may be due to the fact that the [...]
I have 5 hives, 4 of which are in the same general area. One of the hives has a large number of bees clustered on the outside of the hive for the last 3 or 4 days. Is this because of the hot weather lately? If so, how come the other hives aren’t doing the [...]
There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.
My preferred method of catching a swarm:
If the swarm is accessible, use a swarm catcher (or even a large, clean bucket). Put the basket of the swarm catcher around the swarm, then shake the branch it is hanging from so that the swarm falls into it. As quickly as possible, place a wet towel over the [...]
Swarming season is upon us. In an effort to keep swarms down in my bee yard, I remove queen cells whenever I find them. Usually, this is a simple matter of cutting out the cell and discarding it.
Occasionally, however, I find a queen cell in an extremely vigorous, healthy hive that produces well and has survived [...]
Readers have asked for instructions for installing their new packages of bees. So here goes…it’s going to be a long post, but worth it, I hope!
Installing packages is one of the easier beekeeping tasks. In my opinion, there are only a few essentials. First, get good packages. Second, give the bees as good a start [...]
It’s time to start thinking about spring medications…one of those beekeeping chores no one looks forward to. To help make this task a bit easier on the mind (if not the wallet) we have developed the ct-honey.com Medication Calculator. To use the calculator, simply enter the number of hives you will be medicating, indicate whether it [...]
Come and join us at the East Lyme Public Library at 7 p.m. on June 7th, where we will be giving a beekeeping demonstration. The details of the demonstration have not been finalized yet, but will probably include beekeeping basics, beekeeping equipment, tasks during a typical year of beekeeping, and how honey is extracted. A question [...]
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