Nicky Ellis

A thriving bee colony stores up plenty of honey to meet its winter needs, so in the best case scenario, your bees will not need extra food provided during the wintertime. Unfortunately, for the last few years weather conditions have been unpredictable and less than ideal around the globe. This situation often leaves bee colonies … Read more

If you’re a beekeeper or an aspiring beekeeper and you’re lucky enough to spot a swarm of bees, you’ll surely want to gather them up and take them home. How do you do that, and what do you do after you’ve gotten them home? In this article, we discuss what to do after catching a … Read more

One of the biggest challenges in beekeeping is moving hives. While it would be nice to never have to move a beehive from one place to another, the fact is this is often a very necessary aspect of this enjoyable activity. Naturally, if you must move your beehive a short or long distance, you want … Read more

A nuc box is like a starter box for a new bee colony. It is typically a small hive with between three and five frames. You should start out with a mated, accepted queen and at least three frames that are already filled with honey and brood and are fully drawn out. In this article, … Read more

It’s important to treat bees for mites in a proactive manner at all times. Varroa mite management is an important and necessary aspect of serious beekeeping. A varroa mite infestation can quickly cause high failure, and it is often difficult to detect these tiny invaders. Many times, beekeepers believe that their hives have failed because … Read more

There are quite a few factors and specific conditions that encourage bees to swarm. If you are in search of a swarm of honeybees to bring home, you need to understand these factors and conditions. In this article, we discuss what makes bees swarm, how you can find them; how to attract a swarm of … Read more

Populations of all sorts of bees are declining at an alarming rate, and this endangers production of food for people and all creatures on earth. Surprisingly, individual gardeners can help with this problem significantly by making bee-friendly plant choices. In this article, we discuss the importance of planting ornamental, fruit and vegetable crops that are … Read more

In the wintertime, bees rely on the honey that they have made and stored in order to survive the cold weather. During the coldest months, bees cluster together in a ball to keep warm. They generate heat by vibrating their bodies, and this activity is very energy consuming. That’s why it’s so important that the … Read more

Smoke is the traditional way to keep bees calm, and beekeepers have been using this method for many centuries. Even so, there are many reasons for not wanting to use smoke around your farm or homestead. In this article, we discuss some alternate and safer methods for keeping your bees calm (including the video below). … Read more