Beekeepers often observe their bees flying past nectar sources, sometimes the very flowers that those beekeepers have planted as...

An American pollen color chart is difficult to find. One of the reasons appears to be the size of the area of the United State,...

Not necessarily: even a color as unusual as blue appears in pollen in nature. The color of the pollen may even be different from the...

Swarm cells are planned by the workers and therefore are placed close to the center of the brood nest - the safest, warmest, most...

It's about the time of year that beginning beekeepers are watching for varroa on their mite count (slideout) boards of their screened...

Propolis can be really built up inside the hive at the end of winter and makes the first full inspection difficult. One way to keep down...

Or instead of harvesting that honey, the “honey bank” is right there in the beeyard, on hand to make up splits or nucs. No need to carry...

What can a smallscale beekeeper do if without enough freezer space and without the time (or possibly without the desire) to extract honey...

Freezing your “honey bank” frames is the easiest and best protection against insects, rodents, excess humidity and even crystallization....

If moving bees at night, use red light. If you don't have a red flashlight, red cellophane (look in the gift wrap section of a store)...

If a beekeeper sees anything odd about brood or the bees in a hive, s/he may leave the hive tool used to inspect that hive on the inner...

A properly strapped hive with a 2-person hive carrier is a backsaver. On uneven ground, in the dark, on muddy ground, strapping and using...

When moving a couple hives, securing the boxes of a stack together with cam lock buckle straps can be the fastest way to move them. Run...

Do not forget your disposable gloves and leave your tools in the car or at home unless otherwise requested. Use the tools and equipment...

Not if it’s installed in the bee shed or on your porch . It's a great way to see how many bees you need to remove from the back of your...

When persistent defenders of the hive stay with a beekeeper after walking away from the hive, sometimes walking around a tree or building...

In order to keep bees calm, avoid stepping on them by never placing frames or boxes of bees directly on the ground. Beekeepers often take...

During hive inspections, reduce light stress on bees by covering boxes with an inner cover or even a piece of plywood House bees don’t...

Buckets are easy totes but bucket lids can fit too tightly. A bucket lid that doubles as a seat can be the perfect solution and can...

Having a lit smoker at hand is always a good idea; Murphy’s Law tells us that if we have it, we won’t need it. However, if we fail to...