Earth day brought 48°F for the high temperature, and my first swarm call of the year that I could comfortably drive to. The swarm issued from a tree that has had a honeybee colony in it for a few years. Despite the cold, the bees were relatively well-behaved, and went right into the hive. I noticed several other trees that looked hollow on my way off the property. I expect to return in a few days for secondary swarms.
Tag: beekeeping
The difference between colony “death” and “loss”.
In a recent livestream on my YouTube channel I discussed why I don’t call the death of a colony a “loss” in my operation. Skip to the 3:45 mark to get to the good part. I’d love to hear your feedback as always.
Warm-up at the bee yard.
Honeybee Swarm Removal in other parts of the United States
Below, I will link your swarm removal website (as long as you are not too close to me). If you would include my link on your website, that would be great.
IOWA: https://ephemeralmidwest.com/services/honey-bee-removal/
IOWA CITY:
https://5l4hranchandbees.wordpress.com/
CENTRAL PENNSYLVANIA
Swarm removal:
Golden Creek Apiary https://gcapiaries.buzz/
Philadelphia, PA
Lehigh County and Northampton County Pennsylvania Bee removal:
Bee removal in Oakland CA:
https://www.luckofthedrone.com/
State College PA Swarm Removal:
Matt Gouty 814-360-6784
Honeybees collecting lawn rust fungus
I’ve never seen this behavior described, much less filmed. I’ve seen reports of bees bringing in orange “pollen”, but I wonder how much of it is actually lawn rust fungus. There isn’t anything blooming that I know of with orange pollen in my region (Southeast Pennsylvania, USA) this time of year. What do they do with it? I don’t know. Honeybees will collect many different powdery substances (coffee grounds, bird feeder dust, sawdust, etc.) this time of year when no pollen is available.
Bee Talk with Biology Instructor Casie Berkhouse
In this episode, I speak with Casie Berkhouse, a biology instructor and beekeeper from Northern Pennsylvania. This episode, like most others, is unedited and completely unscripted. As always, I’d love to hear your feedback! Leave me a message. I will definitely get back to you.
Awesome honeybee tree relocation!
My latest (and most awesome) tree colony relocation is at the top of this playlist. I made this playlist so people could see how many tree colonies I deal with, and that they are not rare.
Overwinter setup for honeybees in Pennsylvania.
What I’m sharing here is not what I’ve heard or something I’ve read somewhere. This is what I actually do, and have done for years. I’ve done all the silly, tedious stuff. Don’t waste your time.
The Spotted Lanternfly flow 2020
The invasive Spotted Lanternfly is at it again. Feeding the bees during what would normally be a dearth period.
Plant poppies for your bees!
For the past few seasons, I’ve been planting poppies for my bees, saving the seeds and planting again. I started with ordinary “bread” poppies from the grocery store baking aisle. They start a bit slow, but then take off quickly. Poppies provide enormous amounts of pollen early in the morning. I’ve seen as many as seven bees on a single flower with pollen sacs loaded almost instantly. I don’t believe poppy flowers provide much nectar, if any. It’s interesting to see the slight changes in the colors of the flowers as pollen from other poppy growers finds its way into my little gene pool. Below, I’m linking a short video of what I do here at home to grow poppies for my bees.
Berks County PA Honey Bee Removal 19601 | Swarmstead Bees 