Congratulations, you’ve overwintered your colony! If your hives made it through to April with 5+ solid frames of bees and an active queen then you’ve successfully overwintered! Supplemental Feeding Now that your bees have broken their winter cluster and have...
Planning a Multi-Pollinator Landscape Plant a wide variety of nectar plants with different colors, forms, and as wide of a bloom time as available. Plant pollen plants, as wide a bloom time as possible, for honey bees and native bees. Plant larval host plants for...
March is the most common month for colonies to starve. Take the opportunity of a sunny day and warmer day temperatures, if you haven't already, to peek inside your hive and see how your bees are doing. By this time, the queen has been steadily increasing her...
Hello beekeeper! Longer day length triggers honey bee queens to increase egg production. Your honey bee colonies have likely been slowly building brood population since Winter Solstice. Ideally, they will reach peak population when blackberries are blooming later in...
Time to place your pre-orders for live bees! Limited Packages & Nucs are Available - We are Taking Pre-Orders While Supplies Last! We are a distributer of live bees for Fred Selby, a 2nd generation beekeeper from Chico, California. Previously the head of the...
We are proud to offer nucleus hives created by Fred Selby, a 2nd generation beekeeper. After being head of the Shonnard’s Nursery beekeeping department, Fred now professionally operates his apiary near Brownsville, Oregon. What is a Fresh Nucleus Hive? A fresh nucleus...
By now, winter preparations should be done: absorbent material is in your inner covers, rain covers and wind breaks have been installed, and your bees are eating away at their voluminous winter stores. There really isn’t much to buzz about in December, there is...
The hard work of the beekeeping year is now behind us, but there are a few things to keep in mind as we slide into winter. Ventilation Ventilation in your hive is extremely important – bees heating the hive create warm, moist air that can either escape the hive or...
Hello everyone! Your bees may dip into their stores in the month ahead – especially for protein. Protein patties fed in the fall can greatly bolster the health and vitality of your long-lived winter bees. Continue to feed protein into November. At this time of year...
As the season winds down for our bees, there are a few important considerations to keep in mind to ensure your colony has the best chance for overwintering success. Pollen Stored Ensure your hive has adequate pollen storage – if in doubt, a protein patty is a great...
Hope all is well in the hives. Did you know that mid-August is widely considered to be the start of the beekeeping year? By this time your honey supers are off (or should be taken off ASAP - reference our July blog), you’re checking mite levels and treating if...
July is here and that means honey flow in your hive needs to be checked to determine if it’s time to harvest. Your hive work in July will have a definite impact on your colony’s chance of winter survival. During this time your goal is to create the optimal conditions...