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 the outer lid off, turn it over and place it on the ground as a base for the hive boxes they take off.Injured bees release alarm pheromone to alert the rest of the colony. In order to keep all the bees calm, avoid stepping on them by never placing frames or boxes of bees directly on the ground. Beekeepers often take the outer lid off, turn

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 often see the light of day until they progress to the foraging state. They are happiest being kept in the dark. When removing boxes from the hive stack, cover those boxes with extra inner covers or pieces of cardboard, etc. to calm the bees.

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 ensure the lid does get put back on, keeping fuel dry even if the bucket is rained on. For use of newspaper, egg carton & rolled burlap strips as fuel, see Joe Dunsmire's demo for lighting a smoker at https://youtu.be/tbzBOLVJNpw .

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 have it on hand, we may need it. The unexpected is normal in beekeeping; the bees don’t read the manuals that we beekeepers do. Bees in the spring, particularly in small hives or nucs are so focused on spring buildup that they often hardly seem to notice the beekeeper’s invasion of their home. They may need minimal distraction, if any. Thi

Hive tools should be sharpened. Sharpening is easy maintenance but easy to skip doing as often as beekeepers should be doing it. Sharp hive tools make hive manipulations easier and more enjoyable.

Is a hive tool just a prybar? Different hive tools have different uses. Purchasing and trying an assortment is an inexpensive way to find ways to make hive maintenance and management easier. Use as a pry bar should be the least important way a hive tool is used. Cutting through propolis instead of fighting the colony’s use of it as an adhesive reduces stress on the hive equipment as well as on the beekeeper. The cheapest hive tools tend to have a shape that suggests

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 cover before putting the outer cover back on. The next time opening that hive, the beekeeper is reminded that this is the hive under suspicion and is reminded not to use any other hive tool in that hive. Dedicated hive tools are an important strategy to avoid cross contamination of hives if a disease issue, particularly of the broodnest, migh

Beekeepers keep feed close to the spring broodnest, so that the bees are encouraged to use it. Broodnest temperature must be maintained at 92-94 F. Although feeders are at the top or sides of the broodnest and at therefore at lower temperatures, the temperature is still raised enough to speed fermentation. 2:1 ferments slowly if at all, but 1:1 doesn’t seem to last a week at hivetop temperatures. If the bees are consuming 1:1 fast enough, fermentation is not an issue. Ho

Rain dearth exists also in other areas but is often ignored in beekeeping manuals, whereas drought dearth is usually discussed. In Western Washington, bees experience far more days of rain dearth than drought dearth. In fact, in Western Washington, drought dearth is often broken up by opportune rain showers reinvigorating the nectar-producing summer blooms. Rain dearth has the greatest impact on honey bee management when it slows hive population buildup before a major flow. R

A nuc should contain a queen and at least 2 frames brood, about 2 frames honey and pollen stores, and the 5th frame is supplier’s choice, possibly empty, even blank without drawn comb. There should be enough bees to cover or work all frames. If you have received a substandard nuc, one containing fewer bees or resources, boost and protect that colony to prevent its failure. If you have other healthy hives or another well-stocked nuc that can spare even a little brood and

If the queen is caged, you must return in about 4 days to verify the queen was released from the cage by the workers. If not released by then, you can make a very small hole in the candy plug to encourage release if necessary. She must be released by a week, no later, by lifting the edge of the screen held close as possible to the frames.

When purchasing a package, you can not see the queen until you are actually installing the bees into their hive box. So, check the queen inside the cage upon installation. If she is dead, you must install the bees into the hive, feed them and finish the installation in all other ways. Then call the supplier immediately and ask for another queen. If you have the dead queen in the cage, there should be no hesitation to replace her. Some suppliers also replace or discount the pr

The queen can not be inspected in a package, but when purchasing a nuc, she can. If still in the queen cage, you can ask to see her. If she has been released into the nuc, you can inspect the frames for brood and general health. Here's a type of plastic queen cage used in a queen bank, a hive in which queens are stored in cages before those cages are placed in nucs and packages.

Although you should ask all possible questions BEFORE the pickup time, do not leave with the nuc or package without asking about the release of the queen. Unless you are sure the queen has been already released, you need to know how to release the queen if she is still caged. Usually, the queen is slowly released as bees remove a candy plug. However, when a queen is placed in the nuc or package, the candy plug may not be exposed until a tape or a cap or some procedure is perf

Ideally, bees are not transported in the passenger compartment of a car because a few will always fly around inside the car. If doing so, a bee net surrounding the nuc or package is one solution. Another solution is to wear the bee jacket and veil while driving, but that may obstruct driver’s vision. Another solution is driving with the windows rolled down or the dash vents aimed to blow bees away from the driver and towards and out the windows.

With various kinds of nucs (cardboard, plastic, wood), it is not always clear which openings are for ventilation and which are entrances. Before placing a nuc in vehicle, be sure all entrances are closed and the ventilation openings are not blocked. Ask for help from the supplier if you are not sure.

Bees will be flying around the nucs and packages when you go to pickup. Some may have escaped from the packages and nucs, but also, other local bees will be scouting out the nucs and packages. Because of this, do not send a friend with a passenger car to pick up your nucs or packages unless s/he knows beekeeping. You probably want to take your veil and/or jacket with you to pick up your bees, particularly if you will spend some time there talking with the supplier.

When siting your apiary, you are trying to achieve maximum sunshine and wind protection, entrances that face east or southeast, convenient access for the beekeeper, etc. and it's just not always possible to achieve all of these in the same location. Luckily, sometimes problem summer shade disappears in the critical winter and spring breaks because the offending vegetation is deciduous! The leaves fall off the trees in winter, allowing your bees to take advantage of those prec

The solutio This solution requires setup and the materials are expensive but once this type of hive stand is installed, the adjustment with a pipe wrench is easy. The 4x4 timbers rest on elevated post brackets. The screw of the 2-piece bracket inserted into each deck pier block turns easily (surprisingly!) with the pipe wrench in either direction to raise or lower each corner of the hive stand as needed. The pipe wrench is in turning position under the hive in the second pict

While you are lighting the smoker and flaming the fuel to create embers that will last, burn the propolis, etc. off your hive tool, while using it to tamp down fuel.