Hive-mind Beekeeping

My top bar bee hive is making good progress. Installed just over a month ago, they’ve built out 12 solid frames of comb so far. Most of that development was in the first weeks. The …

For the past several years, I’ve been experimenting with creating sculpture in collaboration with my bees. My first piece, featuring a husband and wife entombed in comb, was my favorite. It was clever (I thought), …

I drove up to Mukilteo last Saturday and grabbed the ferry to Whidbey Island to pick up my three packages of bees. I had to get an early start on it, as we were hosting …

I’m excited to try a new experiment this year: top-bar beekeeping! In traditional “Langstroth” hives (or at least, traditional since the mid-1800’s), rectangular frames are placed into rectangular boxes, and the bees build their comb …

Based on comments from Rusty and some that I received through Facebook, I think the verdict on the Bee Kill question is clear: the girls found something they shouldn’t have. Rusty left this comment: The …

Ugh, I was in the middle of a phone call, looking out at my window to admire my hives this past week, and what do I see? A pile of bee carcasses outside the front …

What do you get when you combine two hives of very active, healthy bees with one very active, healthy two-year-old boy? Nah, it’s not the set-up for a joke, just a setup for about a …

First, for those of you who have been losing sleep over my difficulties in establishing a laying queen in my second hive, rest easy: she’s there and she’s laying. I checked over the weekend and …

Got a question from a reader, Louise: Wondering if you’ve ever experienced this: We thought the bees had been particularly busy and were all set to add a second honey super on one hive. Went …