Category Archives: Bees
March Madness
The strange winter continues here in Minnesota… On February 29th, only two and a half weeks ago, this is what it looked like outside our window. The snow started during the night and by morning, we had almost a foot … Continue reading
Making Beeswax Candles
We have now enjoyed three seasons of beekeeping. Each year brings new challenges, successes and failures. It is a constant learning process, which is part of the fascination of beekeeping. Just when we think we have it figured out, something … Continue reading
A Disappointing Honey Harvest
We are in our second year of beekeeping and what a year it has been. Similar to gardening, the season started off with us full of hope about the potential bounty of honey we would enjoy come fall. As any … Continue reading
Filed under Bees
Frogs and Bees
The autumn joy sedum is in full bloom in the garden now, a sure sign of fall. On warm days, it is absolutely covered with honeybees. They love this plant. Because Jesse is always trying to figure out what the … Continue reading
Filed under Bees, Daily life
Queen Bee Update
Our adventure as beginning beekeepers keeps providing us with new challenges and opportunities for learning. After getting our two packages of bees in early April, we soon discovered that the queen in one of the hives had not survived. I … Continue reading
Actions for Photoshop Elements from Pioneer Woman
I have never used any photo-editing software, other than doing some basic cropping or red-eye removal. As part of my quest to improve my photography skills, and after being inspired by seeing the photos of other bloggers, I decided to … Continue reading
Filed under Bees, Photography
Our Buzzing Crabapple Tree
The Prairie Fire crabapple tree right outside my kitchen window is in full bloom . It is quite a sight and smells delightful. Apparently, we are not the only ones that are enjoying the tree. After two days of rain, … Continue reading
Filed under Bees, Flower, Gardens, Photography
Re-Queening a Hive
Our first bump in the road with the bees this season was to lose one of the queens from our two new packages of bees. I went to inspect them last weekend to look for signs that the queens were … Continue reading
Filed under Bees
All the Way from Chico, California…
Our package bees arrived last night after a long and harrowing trip from sunny Chico, California, to the cool weather of Minnesota. Their arrival was delayed a day after they were temporarily stranded in Wyoming due to a snow storm. … Continue reading
Bee Students
Saturday we attended a course entitled “Beekeeping in Northern Climates” at the University of Minnesota. Dr. Marla Spivak and scientist Gary Reuter from the Department of Entomology taught the course. There were about 160 people in attendance (the interest in … Continue reading
Filed under Bees
