May 22, 2023

Q  Temperatures that kill wax moths and small hive beetles  I am trying to look up the minimum temperatures at which small hive beetles (SHBs) and wax moths can no longer survive so that I can minimize my expenditures on prevention. It is 7:30 a.m. now and it is 50°F (10°C) outside. I understand that it is 95°F (35°C) or…

In the previous article, we made a detailed examination of reversing hive bodies, which is a method to maintain colony growth in the spring. To review briefly, by early spring some clusters have ascended up under the cover, leaving empty combs below. Up under the hive cover, colony growth can stall. In a vertical hive design, the cluster more readily…

When we consider planting for pollinators, we often focus on crop plants or garden flowers that bloom at eye level or below. These range from tiny forget-me-nots to swaths of clover to prickly jungles of raspberries. For whatever reason, we rarely consider trees for our pollinator gardens. We may think trees are slow to grow, deposit messy litter on the…

Last fall, I took my two dogs for a walk in the woods behind my house. The black Labrador mix came home with 56 ticks (my daughters meticulously counted as we pulled them off of her!). The Boston terrier came home with only one tick. I could have predicted my Lab would bring home more ticks. She engaged in several…

These seasonal events are complicated simplicity First and foremost — the “nectar flow” If you are new to beekeeping, the primary nectar flow is the period, in your area, when major nectar-producing plants do their seasonal flowering thing. It’s why beekeepers constantly make plans for this intensive part of the year. Oh yes, it’s a glorious time to keep bees.…